ICE guards choke detainee to death with arm around neck, medical examiner rules homicide, DHS deports witnesses

On Jan. 22, 2026, the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the Jan. 3 death of GLGeraldo Lunas Campos a homicide. DADr. Adam Gonzalez determined the cause of death was asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. The autopsy report said witnesses saw Lunas Campos 'become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement.' This is one of three deaths at Camp East 🦌Montana ICE detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso, 🤠Texas, in 44 days.

GLGeraldo Lunas Campos, 55, was a Cuban immigrant and father of four who died on Jan. 3, 2026. The autopsy found abrasions on his chest and knees, hemorrhages on his neck, and petechial hemorrhages in his eyelids and skin of his neck. DVDr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy for the Associated Press, said the petechiae in the eyes support the conclusion that asphyxia caused the death. The contusions on his body reflect physical restraint, and the neck injuries were consistent with a hand or knee on the neck.

ICE's initial Jan. 9 statement said Lunas Campos became 'disruptive' and staff moved him into segregation. The agency said 'staff observed him in distress' and contacted medical personnel, who 'initiated lifesaving measures.' ICE made no mention of an altercation with guards or physical restraint. Days later, DHS issued an amended statement saying Lunas Campos tried to take his own life and 'violently resisted security staff' when they intervened to save him, adding that during a struggle he stopped breathing.

A witness told the Associated Press last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed as at least five guards held him down and one put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he was unconscious. LPLt. Paul Walden, a private security guard with AGAkima Global Services, called 911 on Jan. 3 saying, 'He tried to hang himself, and then we put him in cuffs, and he kept going.' El Paso Fire Department paramedics found Lunas Campos 'pulseless and apneic on the floor of his cell' as staff performed CPR.

Camp East 🦌Montana deputy director DRDaniel Rios called the county sheriff's office an hour after Walden's 911 call to request a death investigation. Rios said he was driving to the camp and didn't witness the death. He told the dispatcher, 'I believe he just hung himself,' but added, 'I don't have details and, I don't want to lie to you.' Rios called back an hour later asking when detectives would arrive. Records show the El Paso Police Department did not get involved in investigating the death.

DHS sought to deport two witnesses who described Lunas Campos's death to media. These witnesses were quoted in media reports describing what they saw. Lawyers for the two men—one from El Salvador, the other from Cuba—filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to prevent deportation until they can give depositions. On Jan. 21, Federal Judge David Briones granted a temporary restraining order blocking their deportation, stating deportation would make it harder to 'obtain the testimony of these witnesses.' A hearing was set for Jan. 27 to determine whether the detainees can provide testimony in court. Rep. PJPramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote on social media, 'This looks a lot like a cover-up. We need an independent investigation NOW.'

Camp East 🦌Montana was built in 2025 to house thousands of immigrants in the desert at Fort Bliss, a massive Army base just a few miles from the U.S. border with Mexico. The $1.2 billion contract to build and operate Camp East Montana, expected to become the largest detention facility in the U.S., was awarded to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a private contractor headquartered in a single-family home in Richmond, 🏛️Virginia. The company had no prior experience running a corrections facility and has subcontracted with other companies including AGAkima Global Services, which provides detention and security services for ICE at the facility.

🗽New York court records show Lunas Campos was convicted in 2003 of sexual contact with a person under 11, a felony for which he was sentenced to one year in jail and placed on the state's sex offender registry. He was also sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervision in 2009 after being convicted of attempting to sell a controlled substance. He completed the sentence in Jan. 2017. The autopsy also noted Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety, and a toxicology report showed the presence of prescription antidepressant and antihistamine medications.