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El Paso Medical Examiner Poised to Rule ICE Detainee’s Death a Homicide

A preliminary finding of asphyxia from neck and chest compression contradicts DHS claims of a suicide attempt.

Overview

  • Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died on Jan. 3 at the Camp East Montana detention site at Fort Bliss, according to ICE.
  • In a recorded call shared with reporters, a medical examiner’s office employee told Campos’s daughter the likely ruling is homicide pending toxicology results.
  • The employee described a preliminary cause of asphyxia due to neck and chest compression, indicating oxygen was cut off by pressure.
  • A fellow detainee, Santos Jesus Flores, said he saw several guards choking Campos while hearing him say, “I can’t breathe.”
  • DHS says Campos attempted to take his own life and stopped breathing during a struggle, as family members report FBI contact about the case and scrutiny grows over the tent facility’s past violations and recent in-custody deaths.