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Medical Examiner: Cuban Immigrant’s Death in Texas ICE Jail Was from “Asphyxia Due to Neck and Chest Compression”

HeadlineJan 16, 2026

The death of a Cuban immigrant who was jailed in an ICE detention camp in Texas was likely a homicide. That’s according to The Washington Post, which reported El Paso County’s medical examiner found the preliminary cause of death for 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos was “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression.” Lunas Campos was arrested last July and pronounced dead on January 3 at Camp East Montana, a sprawling immigration detention tent camp at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso. ICE claimed the Cuban father had died after “experiencing medical distress.” But El Paso officials reportedly told his daughter they will likely rule his death a homicide, pending a toxicology report. Lunas Campos is one of four immigrants who died in ICE custody during the first 10 days of this year, 2026.

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