A medical examiner in Texas has ruled that the death of a Cuban national held in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody earlier this month was a homicide, raising fresh concerns over conditions inside federal immigration detention facilities.
The detainee, identified as 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos, died on January 3 at Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility in Texas. ICE had initially said Campos experienced “medical distress” while in custody. However, an autopsy report cited by multiple US media outlets, including The Washington Post, found that the cause of death was “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”
According to the report prepared by Deputy Medical Examiner Adam C. Gonzalez of the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner, the findings suggest that physical restraint played a role in Campos’ death. Reuters reported that it was unable to independently verify the autopsy details, and officials from the medical examiner’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, offered a different account. A DHS spokesperson said Campos had attempted to take his own life while in federal custody. The spokesperson claimed that security staff intervened to stop him, but during the struggle Campos “violently resisted,” after which he stopped breathing and lost consciousness.
DHS has said the incident remains under active investigation.
Campos’ death comes amid growing scrutiny of deaths in US immigration detention. Official ICE figures show that at least 30 people died in ICE custody last year, marking the highest number in two decades. In just the first 10 days of 2026, four immigrants, including Campos, have already died while being held in federal immigration facilities.
Human rights advocates have long raised concerns about the use of force, medical care, and oversight in immigration detention centers. The homicide ruling is likely to intensify calls for greater transparency and accountability within the US immigration enforcement system.
