The death of a Cuban migrant inside a Texas immigration detention facility has been officially classified as a homicide, according to an El Paso county autopsy report. The report, released on Wednesday, concluded that Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died from “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression”.
The autopsy cited witnesses who said Lunas Campos became unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement. Injuries to his chest and knees, as well as petechial haemorrhages in the eyelids and neck, were also documented. A witness previously told the Associated Press that Lunas Campos was handcuffed while at least five guards pinned him down, with one squeezing his neck until he lost consciousness.
Lunas Campos died on 3 January at Camp East Montana, a detention facility near El Paso. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially said he suffered “medical distress” but later changed its account, claiming he had attempted suicide and “violently resisted” guards. The DHS said he had been placed in segregation after becoming disruptive while queuing for medication.
Lunas Campos, who entered the US in 1996, was arrested in July during an immigration sweep in Rochester, New York. He faced charges including child sexual abuse, possession of a firearm and aggravated assault. Attorneys for his family have moved to block the deportation of two people they say witnessed the events leading to his death, arguing in an emergency petition that their testimony is essential.
The deaths of at least four migrants in US immigration custody since the start of the year have heightened scrutiny of detention practices. With 32 deaths in 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded its deadliest year in two decades.
