Three migrants have died at the Camp East Montana detention center in East El Paso, raising renewed scrutiny of conditions inside the ICE-run facility near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Cuban Migrant’s Death Ruled a Homicide
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban migrant, died in custody on Jan. 3. ICE initially said he suffered “medical distress,” but the El Paso County Medical Examiner later ruled his death a homicide caused by asphyxia from neck and torso compression.
Witness accounts reported by The Washington Post alleged that guards choked Lunas Campos, details not included in ICE’s original statement. DHS later said Lunas Campos attempted suicide and resisted officers before his death.
Court Blocks Deportation of Key Witnesses
On Jan. 27, federal attorneys agreed to a preliminary injunction preventing six migrant witnesses from being deported. Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones accepted the agreement during a hearing in El Paso.
The migrants are expected to give sworn depositions about what they witnessed leading up to Lunas Campos’ death. ICE officials also agreed not to move the witnesses from the El Paso facility until the end of February.
Family Seeks Accountability and Answers
Lunas Campos’ family has filed a petition to preserve testimony as they prepare a wrongful death lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and private contractors Akima Global Services, LLC, and Acquisition Logistics, LLC, which operate and staff the facility.
Civil rights attorney Christopher Benoit said preserving eyewitness testimony is critical to establishing an independent account of what happened, separate from the government’s version. Attorneys have also requested that ICE preserve and release surveillance footage from inside the facility.
Witnesses Describe Final Moments
According to court filings, multiple migrants reported hearing Lunas Campos repeatedly say, “No puedo respirar” — “I can’t breathe.” Others described sounds of a physical struggle and what appeared to be a body hitting a wall or floor.
One witness said Lunas Campos’ voice went silent after pleading that he could not breathe.
Depositions Expected Soon
The six migrants — Santos Jesus Flores, Antonio Ascon Frometa, Henry Negrin Bolaño, Jenrry Melendez, Mayron Pazpuerto, and Cobi Ardenis Nazareth — are expected to be interviewed in the coming days.
After depositions are completed, the court will decide whether the witnesses can remain in the United States as the family moves forward with litigation.
Calls for Broader Reform
Attorneys for the family say the case is not only about justice for Lunas Campos, but about preventing similar deaths in ICE detention facilities nationwide.
For more on this story, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine.