A 55-year-old man detained at a sprawling immigration facility near El Paso, Texas died on January 3 after what witnesses say was a violent confrontation with guards. The death of Geraldo Lunas Campos is now likely to be investigated as a homicide, according to a medical examiner's preliminary finding, but federal officials have given a different account of what occurred at Camp East Montana, a massive tent detention center at Fort Bliss military base.
Lunas Campos, a Cuban immigrant who had lived in the United States for three decades, was arrested in Rochester, New York last summer and transferred to the Texas facility in September. On the day he died, ICE said he became disruptive during medication distribution and refused to return to his assigned dormitory. Guards placed him in segregation, where staff later found him in distress.
Background
Camp East Montana opened in 2024 as a temporary detention center for immigrants facing removal proceedings. The facility houses hundreds of people in large tent structures and has become one of the largest immigration detention sites in the country. It sits on federal military property and operates under ICE oversight.
Lunas Campos arrived at the facility in September after immigration authorities arrested him during a planned enforcement operation in Rochester. An immigration judge had ordered him removed from the country in 2005, but the government had been unable to obtain travel documents from Cuba, his country of citizenship. He remained in custody pending resolution of his case.
The facility has faced criticism from civil rights groups. In December 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights organizations sent a letter to ICE demanding an end to immigration detention at Camp East Montana, citing what they described as a pattern of abuses including beatings, sexual abuse, medical neglect, and denial of access to legal representation.
Key Details
According to ICE's official account, Lunas Campos attempted to take his own life while in segregation. Security staff intervened to stop him, but he resisted violently and continued attempting to harm himself. During the struggle, he stopped breathing and lost consciousness. Medical staff responded and attempted to resuscitate him, but he could not be revived.
However, a fellow detainee witnessed what happened and told investigators a different story. According to this witness account, guards choked Lunas Campos to death. The witness's version was later reported by The Washington Post.
An employee of the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner told Lunas Campos's daughter that the preliminary cause of death is asphyxia due to neck and chest compression—meaning he did not get enough oxygen because of pressure applied to his neck and chest. The examiner's office said the death is likely to be classified as a homicide, pending results of a toxicology report.
Lunas Campos's family has questioned the official ICE account. His daughter told the Associated Press that her father was not suicidal and did not attempt to harm himself. She also disputed ICE's characterization of his criminal history, saying a 2003 conviction for sexual contact with a child was false and made during a contentious custody dispute.
Response from Federal Authorities
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told local media that ICE takes the health and safety of detainees seriously and that the matter remains under investigation. The agency said it investigates all deaths in custody as a matter of routine.
The death is the second migrant death at Camp East Montana since the facility opened.
What This Means
The conflicting accounts of Lunas Campos's death highlight questions about oversight and accountability at immigration detention facilities. The ACLU and other advocacy groups have called for the closure of Camp East Montana, saying the incident demonstrates a pattern of violence and abuse at the facility with little external oversight.
"The death of Geraldo Lunas Campos is the latest in a string of preventable deaths by ICE and illustrates a broader pattern of unchecked violence and abuse carried out by ICE against members of our communities," said Haddy Gassama, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Last year marked the deadliest year for ICE custody in nearly two decades, with 32 deaths recorded. That figure has raised concerns among lawmakers and civil rights organizations about conditions at detention facilities across the country.
Lunas Campos's family faces practical obstacles as well. His partner told media outlets that ICE officials said the only way to return his body to New York free of charge was if she consented to cremation. She declined and is now seeking to raise money from family and friends to pay for shipping his remains home.
The case has also drawn attention to the broader immigration enforcement operation underway in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security announced recently that it is conducting what it calls the largest DHS operation ever, with over 2,000 federal immigration officers deployed in Minnesota alone.
