WASHINGTON (AP) — A Cuban migrant held in solitary confinement at a Texas immigration detention facility died after guards restrained him and stopped breathing, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday that ruled the death a homicide.
Geraldo Lunas Campos died on January 3 after an altercation with the guards. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the 55-year-old father of four was trying to commit suicide and staff tried to save him.
But a witness told the Associated Press last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed as at least five guards restrained him and one put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he lost consciousness.
His death was one of at least three reported in just over a month at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility in the desert on the grounds of Fort Bliss, an Army base.
The autopsy report from the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Lunas Campos’ body showed signs of a struggle, including scrapes on his chest and knees. He also had hemorrhages in his neck. The deputy medical examiner, Dr. Adam Gonzalez. determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to compression of the neck and torso.
The report said witnesses saw Lunas Campos “unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement.” She did not elaborate on what happened during the fight but cited evidence of neck, head and torso injuries associated with physical restraint. The report also noted the presence of petechial hemorrhages – small spots of blood from bursting capillaries that can be associated with intense tension or injury – in the eyelids and in the skin of the neck.
Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy report for AP, said the presence of petechiae in the eyes supports the conclusion that asphyxiation caused death. Those injuries suggest pressure on the body and are often associated with such deaths, he said.
He said the bruises on Lunas Campos’ body could reflect physical restraint and the neck injuries were consistent with a hand or knee on the neck.
The autopsy also found the presence of anti-depressant and antihistamine drugs, adding that Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety. He did not mention the suicide attempt.
The Government has provided varying accounts of what happened
ICE’s initial account of the death, which included no mention of an altercation with guards, said Lunas Campos had become disruptive and staff moved him to a block where detainees are kept away from others.
“While in segregation, staff observed him in distress and contacted on-site medical personnel for assistance,” the agency said in its Jan. 9 statement. “Medical personnel responded, initiated rescue measures, and requested emergency medical services.”
Lunas Campos was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.
Last Thursday, after the family of Lunas Campos was informed for the first time that the death would likely be ruled a homicide, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin amended the government’s account, saying it was a suicide attempt and the guards tried to help him.
“Campos violently resisted the security personnel and continued to try to take his life,” she said. “During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness.”
After the final autopsy report was released Wednesday, McLaughlin released a statement emphasizing that Lunas Campos was 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 the age of 11, a felony for which he was sentenced to a year in prison and placed on the state’s sex offender registry. Lunas Campos was also sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervision in 2009 after being convicted of attempting to sell a controlled substance, according to New York corrections records. He completed the sentence in January 2017.
“ICE takes seriously the health and safety of all those held in our custody,” McLaughlin said Wednesday, adding that the agency was investigating the death. DHS did not respond to questions about whether any agencies outside of law enforcement were also investigating.
The deaths put a spotlight on Camp East Montana
The AP reported in August that the $1.2 billion contract to build and operate Camp East Montana, expected to become 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 prior experience running a corrections facility and subcontracted with other companies to help operate the camp.
It was not immediately clear if the guards present when Lunas Campos died were government employees or those of a private contractor.
A final determination of homicide by the medical examiner is typically critical in determining whether any guards are held criminally or civilly liable. The fact that Lunas Campos died on an Army base may limit the legal jurisdiction of state and local officials to investigate.
Lunas Campos was among the first detainees sent to Camp Montana East, arriving 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, part of a wave of Cuban immigrants seeking to reach Florida by boat.
ICE said he was picked up in July as part of a planned immigration enforcement operation because of criminal convictions that made him eligible for removal.
In addition to Lunas Campos, ICE announced that on December 3 an immigrant from Guatemala held at Camp East Montana died after being transferred to an El Paso hospital for treatment. While the cause of death was still pending, the agency said that 48-year-old Francisco Gaspar-Andres was suspected to have died of liver and kidney failure.
On Sunday, ICE announced that Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old immigrant from Nicaragua, died at Camp East Montana on January 14 of a “presumed suicide”. The agency said Diaz was detained by ICE earlier this month during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Unlike the two previous deaths, Diaz’s body was not sent to the county medical examiner in El Paso. McLaughlin said Wednesday that the autopsy for Diaz is being 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.
___
Foley reported from Iowa City.