WASHINGTON (AP) — A Cuban migrant held in solitary confinement at a Texas immigration detention center died after being restrained by guards and stopped breathing, the autopsy report released on Wednesday revealed, determining that the death was a homicide.
Geraldo Lunas Campos died on January 3 after an altercation with guards. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that Lunas Campos, 55, a father of four, was attempting to take his own life and that staff at Camp East Montana tried to save him.
But a witness told The Associated Press last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed while being restrained by at least five guards, one of whom slid his arm around his neck and pressed hard until he lost consciousness.
Lunas Campos’s death is one of at least three reported in the past weeks at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility located on Fort Bliss, an Army base.
The El Paso County medical examiner’s report determined that Lunas Campos’s body bore signs of a struggle, such as abrasions on the chest and knees. He also had neck hemorrhages. Dr. Adam Gonzalez, the deputy chief medical examiner, ruled the cause of death as asphyxia from neck and torso compression.
According to the report, witnesses saw Lunas Campos “lose consciousness while being physically restrained by law enforcement officers.” It did not detail what happened during the struggle, but noted evidence of injuries to the neck, head, and torso consistent with physical restraint. The report also noted the presence of petechiae — tiny red spots caused by capillary rupture that can be associated with extreme strain or injury — on the eyelids and the skin of the neck.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Victor Weedn, who reviewed the autopsy report for AP, said that the presence of petechiae in the eyes “tends to support” the conclusion that the cause of death was asphyxia. He noted that these injuries are often associated with such fatalities.
He added that the bruising on Lunas Campos’s body could reflect physical restraint, and the neck injuries were consistent with pressure from a hand or knee on the neck.
The autopsy also revealed the presence of prescribed antidepressants and antihistamines in the decedent’s system, adding that Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety. There was no mention of a suicide attempt.
ICE’s initial account of the death, which did not mention any altercation with guards, said that Lunas Campos became unstable and staff moved him to a segregated area.
“While in segregation, staff observed that he was in distress and contacted the facility’s medical staff for assistance,” the agency said in a January 9 statement. “Medical staff responded, began resuscitation efforts, and requested emergency medical services.”
Lunas Campos was pronounced dead after the arrival of paramedics.
After Lunas Campos’s family was notified that his death would likely be considered a homicide, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, revised the government’s account last Thursday, stating that he had tried to commit suicide and that guards had tried to help him.
“Campos violently resisted security personnel and continued attempting to take his own life,” she explained. “During the struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness.”
But after the final autopsy report was released on Wednesday, McLaughlin issued a statement emphasizing that Lunas Campos was “an illegal foreign criminal and a convicted sex offender.”
According to New York court records, Lunas Campos was convicted in 2003 of sexual contact with a child under 11, a felony for which he was sentenced to a year in prison and placed on the state’s sex offender registry. He was later sentenced to five additional years behind bars and three more under supervision in 2009 after pleading guilty to attempted sale of a controlled substance. He completed his sentence in January 2017.
“ICE takes the health and safety of all detainees in our custody seriously,” McLaughlin stressed on Wednesday, adding that the agency is already investigating the incident. DHS has not responded to questions about whether any other external agency has opened an inquiry into the case.
AP reported in August that the $1.2 billion contract to build and operate Camp East Montana, a facility intended to become the largest of its kind in the country, was awarded to a private contractor based in Richmond, Virginia. The company, Acquisition Logistics LLC, had no prior experience running a correctional facility and has subcontracted other firms to assist in operating the site.
It is not yet known whether the guards who were with Lunas Campos at the time of the altercation were government employees or private contractors.
A final homicide determination by the medical examiner would typically be crucial in determining whether any guard is held criminally or civilly responsible. The fact that Lunas Campos died on an Army base could limit the jurisdiction of state and local authorities to pursue an investigation.
Lunas Campos was one of the first detainees sent to Camp East Montana. He arrived at the facility in September after being detained by ICE agents in Rochester, New York, where he had lived for more than two decades. He legally entered the United States in 1996 as part of a wave of Cuban migrants seeking to reach Florida by boat.
ICE noted that he was detained in July as part of a planned immigration operation because he had criminal convictions that made him eligible for deportation.
In addition to Lunas Campos, ICE announced on December 3 that a Guatemalan immigrant held at Camp East Montana had died after being transported to an El Paso hospital for treatment. While the cause of death remains pending, the agency said it is believed that Francisco Gaspar Andrés, 48, died of liver and kidney failure.
Additionally, ICE announced on Sunday that 36-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant Víctor Manuel Díaz died at Camp East Montana on January 14 in a “suspected suicide.” The agency noted that Díaz had been detained during the early-month immigration raids in Minneapolis.
Unlike the two previous deaths, Díaz’s body was not sent to the El Paso County Medical Examiner. McLaughlin explained on Wednesday that Díaz’s autopsy is being conducted at Fort Bliss’s Army Medical Center. DHS again did not respond to questions about whether any other agency is investigating the death.
