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The death of Cuban immigrant Geraldo Lunas Campos has sparked significant legal and public outcry. On January 3, 2023, he died while detained at the Camp East Montana facility, located on the Fort Bliss military base near El Paso, Texas. His family claims that guards choked him to death, as reported by witnesses who were also detained.

Details Surrounding the Death

Lunas Campos’s family filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, seeking to prevent the deportation of two detainees who reportedly witnessed his death. They argue that their testimony is crucial for an impending wrongful-death lawsuit.

• Witness Accounts: Two detainees, Santos Jesus Flores and Antonio Ascon Frometa, provided differing accounts of the events leading to Lunas Campos’s death. Flores witnessed guards choking him and heard him say, “I cannot breathe” in Spanish.
• Federal Response: Initially, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attributed the death to “medical distress.” Later, a Department of Homeland Security official suggested it was a suicide after the detainee resisted security intervention.
• Medical Findings: The family’s claims include indications from the El Paso medical examiner’s office that Lunas Campos’s death would potentially be classified as homicide due to asphyxia.

Conditions at Camp East Montana

Since its opening in August 2022, Camp East Montana has been embroiled in controversy. It is the largest immigration detention facility in the United States, with around 2,700 detainees. The camp has faced scrutiny over allegations of inhumane conditions.

• Three detainees have died at the camp, including:
• Francisco Gaspar-Andres of Guatemala, who died on December 3, 2022.
• Victor Manuel Diaz of Nicaragua, reported to have died from a “presumed suicide” on January 14, 2023.

Legal and Public Reactions

The legal team representing Lunas Campos’s family argues that the government is attempting to deport critical witnesses to hinder their lawsuit. They claim that the timing of these deportation notices is suspicious and suggestive of governmental efforts to obstruct justice.

Jeanette Pagan Lopez, who is the mother of two of Lunas Campos’s children, expressed her desire for justice. She spoke about the maltreatment, inadequate nutrition, and lack of medical care that detainees reportedly faced at the facility. “I need some kind of justice,” she stated. “I know I can’t bring him back.”

In contrast, ICE has consistently denied allegations of inhumane conditions. The agency maintains that the safety and well-being of individuals in custody is a paramount priority.