The El Paso County medical examiner has ruled the death of a Cuban migrant in ICE custody a homicide. Geraldo Lunas Campos spent most of his adult life in Rochester and was arrested by immigration officials here last year.
The 55-year-old died Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana, an ICE detention center in El Paso, Texas. An autopsy report ruled Lunas Campos’ cause of death was “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”
“The manner of death is homicide,” the report states, according to the El Paso Times.
The ruling is not a legal finding and does not mean criminal charges will be filed. Last week, a top official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Lunas Campos died following a scuffle with security staff after he attempted to commit suicide.
New York immigration advocates called his death an “abhorrent” murder and are pushing for an independent investigation, citing ongoing reports of inhumane conditions and human rights violations at the El Paso facility.
How did a migrant in Rochester die in ICE detention center in Texas?
Lunas Campos was arrested during a targeted ICE enforcement operation in Rochester on July 14. ICE officials called him an aggravated felon and listed a criminal history that included convictions for sexual contact with a child under 11, unlawful possession of a weapon during a robbery and sale of a controlled substance.
His alleged criminal record ends in 2009. A judge ordered his removal in 2005, according to ICE, but he was not deported because of an administrative issue. ICE has not clarified what that issue was.
Lunas Campos was transferred to Camp East Montana on Sept. 6, shortly after the facility was built. It is the largest ICE detention center in the U.S., projected to hold 5,000 detainees for deportation.
In a Jan. 9 news release, ICE said Lunas Campos died after “experiencing medical distress.” They said the cause was under investigation, but noted a “disruptive” incident earlier in the day when Lunas Campos was in line for medication.
The autopsy report states Lunas Campos became “unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” according to the El Paso Times. The report makes note of “scattered superficial abrasions” all over Lunas Campos’ body and fractured ribs. The medical examiner also found a hemorrhage involving the strap muscles and connective tissues of the neck and “petechial hemorrhages” in the eyelids and in the front and side of his neck.
Lunas Campos’ medical history included suffering from bipolar disorder and anxiety, the report states. The examiner wrote that a toxicology report found that Lunas Campos had trazodone, an antidepressant and hydroxyzine, in his system.
ICE detainee: Lunas Campos kept saying ‘I can’t breathe’
The Washington Post first reported that the El Paso medical examiner was going to rule the death a likely homicide on Jan. 15. The newspaper said it interviewed another detainee, who said Lunas Campos struggled with at least five guards who were trying to place him in segregation on the day he died. The man said Lunas Campos kept saying, “No puedo respirar” ― Spanish for “I can’t breathe.”
Lunas Campos was the second migrant to die at the El Paso detention center. A third migrant died at the facility on Jan. 14. ICE officials said 36-year-old Victor Manuel Diaz was found dead of a “presumed suicide.”
More than 30 people died in ICE custody last year.
— Includes reporting from Aaron Martinez at the El Paso Times.
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Death of Rochester man in ICE custody ruled a homicide
Reporting by Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
