The death of a Cuban migrant with a history of mental illness who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Texas on Jan. 3 has been ruled a homicide, according to numerous reports.
Authorities determined that Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was 55, died due to “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” on Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana, WHAM-TV reports. The facility is in the El Paso area.
Campos, who had been detained last July in Rochester, New York, had a lengthy criminal history, including child sexual abuse, larceny, and unlawful possession of a weapon during a robbery.
His death was announced on Jan. 9 by ICE, who told Rochester’s WHAM that Campos “violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life. During the ensuing struggle, Lunas Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness.”
However, the autopsy report from KFOX-TV in El Paso is likely to provide fodder for renewed unrest.
“Based on the investigative and examination findings, it is my opinion that the cause of death is asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. The manner of death is homicide,” read the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s autopsy, which was reported late Wednesday.
BREAKING: The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled the death of 55-year-old migrant Geraldo Lunas Campos, who died at Camp East Montana, a homicide, according to an autopsy report obtained by KFOX14/CBS4. https://t.co/DXwpbnBicz pic.twitter.com/WouhhMTERE
— KFOX14 News (@KFOX14) January 21, 2026
“There was hemorrhage involving the strap muscles and connective tissues of the neck. Petechial hemorrhages were also noted in the eyelids and skin of the neck,” the report continued, adding that Campos had a long history of mental illness, including bipolar disorder. Two drugs used to treat those disorders were found in his system.
ICE officials had reported that Campos had been disruptive while waiting in line for his medication earlier on the day of his death and was put into “segregation,” where potentially violent detainees are kept. He was later observed in “distress,” ICE said. Witness accounts varied, but other detainees said they saw him struggling with guards while in segregation.
However, one of the illegals detained there, Santos Jesus Flores, said he saw the guards choking Campos. An attorney who represents the family of Campos is looking to depose him and other witnesses.
The death had already drawn significant attention from the activist left, who had preemptively labeled it a murder.
Geraldo Lunas Campos was choked to death by guards at Camp East Montana ICE facility. Medical examiner ruled it homicide. ICE claims suicide. Evidence says otherwise. We need accountability. Justice for Geraldo.
🎥: @AaronParnas pic.twitter.com/4nbVenN6Ce
— Lee Merritt (@LeeMerrittesq) January 18, 2026
Conservatives, meanwhile, noted that the left was trying to turn a child sex offender into George Floyd 2.0 — or perhaps even George Floyd 3.0, if Renee Good counts as the second version.
An illegal immigrant died in ICE custody, and it seems the leftist media is now trying to turn him into George Floyd 2.0.
But here are the facts of the case:
Geraldo Lunas Campos was a convicted child rapist. Based on that alone, my only complaint is that his death didn’t… https://t.co/6CVOPBTDW7 pic.twitter.com/OgRuqu9wOz
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) January 16, 2026
“On January 3rd, Geraldo 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. Campos violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life. During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness. Medical staff was immediately called and responded. After repeated attempts to resuscitate him, EMTs declared him deceased on the scene,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“ICE takes seriously the health and safety of all those detained in our custody,” the DHS spokesperson added. “This is still an active investigation, and more details are forthcoming. ICE investigates the circumstances of all deaths in custody.”
Texas Democrats, meanwhile, indicated their willingness to escalate the case.
“Secretary Noem and Director Lyons have an obligation to provide Congress with a thorough briefing on the circumstances of the confirmed murder of a detainee at Camp East Montana,” Democrat Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso, said in a statement.
“Witnesses claim staff killed the detainee; DHS must preserve all evidence – including halting their effort to deport the witnesses. I reiterate my call for Camp East Montana to be shut down and for the contract with the corporation running it to be terminated.”
An immigration judge had ordered Campos’ deportation in 2005, but he had remained in the country because of his inability to obtain travel documents back to Cuba. He was convicted of numerous offenses, including driving while intoxicated and sale of a controlled substance, after the deportation was ordered.
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