The death of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee at a Texas facility is expected to be ruled a homicide by the local medical examiner, according to reports. Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant, died on 10 January 2026 at Camp East Montana, a makeshift detention centre on the Fort Bliss Army base.
The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office reportedly told the detainee’s daughter that the preliminary cause of death is asphyxia due to neck and chest compression, and that the manner of death is likely to be listed as homicide, pending toxicology results. ICE had initially stated that Lunas Campos died after experiencing “medical distress” and that staff had responded.
However, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Lunas Campos attempted to take his own life and violently resisted security staff. “During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. Another inmate at the facility told The Washington Post he witnessed at least five guards struggling with Lunas Campos after he refused to enter segregation, and heard him repeatedly crying “I can’t breathe” in Spanish.
Lunas Campos had been in ICE custody since July 2025 and had a criminal record including first-degree sexual abuse of a child. He was placed in segregated housing after being deemed “disruptive.” The mother of two of his children said she had been contacted by the FBI, which is investigating the death.
ICE use-of-force regulations state that force may only be used after all reasonable efforts to resolve a situation have failed, and must be limited to what is necessary to gain control and ensure safety. The case has added to public scrutiny of immigration detention practices following previous fatalities in custody.
