Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia
WASHINGTON (AP) – A Cuban immigrant held in solitary confinement at a Texas immigration detention facility died after guards held him down and stopped breathing, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday that ruled the death a homicide.
Geraldo Lunas Campos died on January 3 following an altercation with guards. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the 55-year-old father of four attempted suicide and staff tried to save him.
But a witness he told the Associated Press Last week, Lunas Campos was reportedly handcuffed, at least five guards held him down, and one of them put his arm around his neck and squeezed until he passed out.
His death was one of at least three reported in just over a month at Camp East Montana, a vast tent facility in the desert on the grounds of Fort Bliss, an Army base.
The autopsy report prepared by the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Lunas Campos had signs of struggle, including abrasions on his body, chest and knees. There was also bleeding on his neck. Deputy coroner Dr. Adam Gonzalez. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to neck and trunk compression.
Witnesses saw Lunas Campos “become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” the report said. No detailed information was given about what happened during the struggle, but evidence of injuries to his neck, head and torso due to physical restraint was shown. The report also noted the presence of petechial hemorrhages (small blood spots resulting from burst capillaries that may be associated with intense tension or injury) on the eyelids and neck skin.
Forensic pathologist Dr. examined AP’s autopsy report. Victor Weedn said the presence of petechiae in the eyes supported the conclusion that asphyxia caused death. These injuries involve stress on the body and are often associated with such deaths, he said.
Lunas said the contusions on Campos’ body may reflect physical restraint and that neck injuries were consistent with a hand or knee on the neck.
The autopsy also revealed the presence of prescription antidepressant and antihistamine medications, and added that Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety. There was no mention of him attempting suicide.
The government offered varying explanations of what was happening
ICE’s initial statement about the death did not include an argument with guards, noting that Lunas Campos became disruptive and staff moved him to a cellblock where detainees were kept away from others.
“During the separation, staff observed him in distress and contacted on-site medical personnel for assistance,” the agency said in a Jan. 9 statement. “Medical personnel responded, initiated life-saving measures and requested emergency medical services.”
Lunas Campos was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.
After Lunas Campos’ family was first notified last Thursday that the death could be ruled a homicide, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin changed the government’s statement, saying he had attempted suicide and guards were trying to help him.
“Campos violently resisted security personnel and continued to attempt to take his life,” he said. “During the subsequent struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness.”
After the final autopsy report was released Wednesday, McLaughlin released a statement highlighting Lunas Campos as “a criminal, illegal alien, and convicted child sex predator.”
New York court records show Lunas Campos was convicted in 2003 of sexual contact with a person under 11, a crime for which he was sentenced to one year in prison and placed on the state’s sex offender registry. According to New York corrections records, Lunas Campos was convicted in 2009 of attempting to sell a controlled substance and sentenced to five years in prison and three years of probation. He completed his sentence in January 2017.
“ICE takes seriously the health and safety of everyone in its custody,” McLaughlin said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agency was investigating the death. he said. DHS did not respond to questions about whether any outside law enforcement agencies were investigating.
Deaths put Camp East Montana under spotlight
The AP reported in August: $1.2 billion contract The job of building and operating Camp East Montana, expected to be the largest detention facility in the United States, was awarded to a private contractor headquartered in a single-family home in Richmond, Virginia. The company, Acquisition Logistics LLC, had no previous experience operating a correctional facility and subcontracted with other companies to help operate the camp.
It was not immediately clear whether the guards present when Lunas Campos died were government employees or employees of a private contractor.
The final determination of homicide by the coroner will often be critical in determining whether any guards are held criminally or civilly responsible. Lunas Campos’ death on an Army base could limit the legal authority of state and local authorities to investigate.
Lunas Campos was among the first detainees sent to Camp Montana East, arriving there in September after ICE arrested him in Rochester, New York, where he lived for more than two decades. He was legally admitted to the United States in 1996 as part of a wave of Cuban immigrants seeking to reach Florida by boat.
ICE said he was captured in July as part of a planned immigration enforcement operation because of criminal convictions that made him eligible for deportation.
In addition to Lunas Campos, ICE announced that an immigrant from Guatemala who was being held at Camp East Montana on December 3 also died after being transferred to an El Paso hospital for care. While the cause of death is not yet known, the agency said it is suspected that 48-year-old Francisco Gaspar-Andres died of liver and kidney failure.
ICE announced Sunday that 36-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant Victor Manuel Diaz died of a “presumed suicide” at Camp East Montana on Jan. 14. The agency said Diaz was detained by ICE earlier this month. Crackdown on immigrants in Minneapolis.
Diaz’s body, unlike the previous two deaths, was not sent to the county coroner in El Paso. McLaughlin said Wednesday that an autopsy on Diaz was performed at the Army medical center at Fort Bliss. DHS again did not respond to questions about whether any agency other than ICE would investigate the death.
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Foley reported from Iowa City.
