Ice Detainee's Death Ruled A Homicide By Medical Examiner

The decease of an migrant detainee astatine an El Paso installation has been ruled a homicide, according to nan last autopsy study obtained Thursday by NBC News.

Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, primitively from Cuba, died Jan. 3 astatine Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Camp East Montana installation astatine Fort Bliss.

“Based connected nan investigative and introspection findings, it is my sentiment that nan origin of decease is asphyxia owed to cervix and torso compression. The mode of decease is homicide,” nan El Paso region aesculapian examiner concluded successful nan report. Homicide intends a personification causes nan decease of different one, sloppy of intent.

When ICE first reported his death successful a Jan. 9 property release, it stated that Lunas Campos had knowledgeable “medical distress.” The agency said aesculapian unit responded and initiated lifesaving measures and requested emergency aesculapian services.

In an email to NBC News connected Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that Lunas Campos had attempted to return his ain life and that nan information unit had “immediately intervened to prevention his life.”

“Campos violently resisted nan information unit and continued to effort to return his life,” nan DHS email stated. “During nan ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and mislaid consciousness. Medical unit was instantly called and responded. After repeated attempts to resuscitate him, EMTs declared him deceased connected nan scene.”

DHS said that it’s still an progressive investigation and that “ICE takes earnestly nan wellness and information of each those detained successful our custody.”

The autopsy study was provided to NBC News successful consequence to a Freedom of Information request. The Washington Post first reported connected nan autopsy findings past week.

Geraldo Lunas Campos, seen present pinch his 3 children, died Jan. 3 astatine an ICE detention installation successful El Paso, Texas.Jeanette Pagan-Lopez via AP

Lunas Campos had been successful Camp East Montana since Sept. 6 past year. He had aggregate convictions complete nan years since entering nan state successful 1996, nationalist records show, including first-degree intersexual maltreatment involving a kid nether nan property of 11 and unlawful possession of a weapon.

ICE said Lunas Campos was ordered removed from nan U.S. connected March 1, 2005, but nan authorities could not get recreation documents for him.

According to ICE, Lunas Campos had been successful “segregation,” which intends he was separated from nan facility’s wide population. ICE said he was put successful segregation because he “became disruptive while successful statement for medicine and refused to return to his assigned dorm.”

Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar upset and anxiety, nan autopsy study states.

The aesculapian examiner’s study stated that Lunas Campos had scattered superficial abrasions connected his body, hemorrhage successful muscles and connective tissues connected nan neck, and signs of smaller hemorrhaging connected nan eyelids and tegument of nan neck.

The aesculapian examiner stated that Lunas Campos “was witnessed to go unresponsive while being physically restrained by rule enforcement.”

Lunas Campos is 1 of 3 detainees who person died astatine nan Camp East Montana ICE installation astatine Fort Bliss. DHS stated successful its email that location has been nary spike successful detainee deaths and that arsenic furniture abstraction has quickly expanded, “we person maintained higher modular of attraction than astir prisons that clasp U.S. citizens — including providing entree to due aesculapian care.”

Camp East Montana is nan azygous largest ICE detention installation successful nan state pinch almost 3,000 detainees. Eighty percent of existent detainees astatine Camp East Montana person nary criminal background, according to ICE data.