The death of a man arrested by ICE agents in upstate New York in July 2025 may be investigated as a homicide, after a preliminary investigation found he died of “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression.”
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national, died Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, after what authorities described as a medical incident following a disturbance at the tent camp on the Fort Bliss military base.
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“Lunas became disruptive while in line for medication and refused to return to his assigned dorm,” the agency said in a Jan. 9 news release. After he was placed in segregation, staff observed him “in distress” and contacted on-site medical personnel for assistance. Despite lifesaving efforts, Lunas Campos was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m., the agency said, adding the cause of death was under investigation.
The investigation will likely classify the death as a homicide, according to the Washington Post, which obtained a recording of a conversation between an employee of the local medical examiner’s office and Campos’ daughter.
According to the unnamed employee, a doctor at the office will list “the preliminary cause of death of asphyxia due to neck and chest compression,” which means he likely suffocated to death due to pressure on his neck and chest. The employee also said the doctor will likely list the manner of death as homicide pending the results of a toxicology report, according to the recording.
When Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, was contacted for comment late Thursday, she suggested Campos had died by suicide after a violent altercation with agents.
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“Campos violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life,” she said. “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 man who says he witnessed the incident, however, gave a different account.
Santos Jesus Flores told the newspaper he saw at least five guards trying to force Campos into the segregation unit, where he was refusing to go because he didn’t have his medication. During the altercation, Flores saw Campos being shaken by guards while repeatedly saying in Spanish that he could not breathe, he told the paper.
Officials say Campos was convicted of several crimes, including child sex abuse and aggravated assault with a weapon, allegedly committed over “nearly 20 years.”
His daughter, 25-year-old Kary Lunas, said the child sexual abuse allegation was false and stemmed from a contentious custody battle, saying Campos was “a good dad [and] a good human being.”
With News Wire Services
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