EL PASO - Once a flashpoint in the heated debate over high immigration flows, this city is now a hub for detentions and deportations – and at the center of growing concerns after the medical examiner’s office ruled the death of a Cuban man at the facility is a homicide.
The autopsy reports says 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos died of “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.” The report also notes the detainee became quote “unresponsive" while being restrained according to witnesses.
When ICE reported the January 5th death on January 9th, it said Lunas Campos was in quote in “medical distress” In a statement issued later amid questions from his family about how he died, the Department of Homeland Security said, Lunas Campos, a criminal illegal alien and convicted child sex predator, attempted to take his own life while he was detained at the Camp East Montana detention facility. The security staff immediately intervened to save his life."
His death, and another detainee’s death on January 14, ICE described as a “presumed suicide” are under investigation according to DHS.
The Medical Examiner’s report also notes Lunas Campos medical history includes a bipolar disorder and anxiety. A toxicology report showed the presence of medications used for treatment.
Lunas Campos is the third person to die in custody in the past two months at the tent camp located at Fort Bliss and operated by a private contractor. The facility named Camp East Montana opened in August and is the largest detention center in the country with a capacity for 5000 people.
This is a developing story and will be updated with additional information.
