Geraldo Lunas Campos, a Cuban immigrant detained at Camp East Montana near El Paso, Texas, died in early January after an incident that involved a suicide attempt and physical restraint by detention center guards, according to a 911 call and subsequent medical findings. The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office recently classified the death as a homicide caused by asphyxia due to compression of the neck and torso.
On January 3, Lt. Paul Walden, identifying himself as a private security officer contracted by Akima Global Services, placed an emergency call reporting that Lunas Campos had attempted to hang himself. Walden explained that following the suicide attempt, detention staff applied handcuffs and engaged in a physical struggle with the detainee, during which he ceased breathing. The 911 recording, obtained via a public information request, shows Walden informing responders that despite restraining Lunas Campos, he "kept going," though no further specifics on the methods or events were provided. Portions of the call were redacted by the City of El Paso to protect confidential medical details.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for overseeing Camp East Montana, did not mention Lunas Campos’ suicide attempt or the use of physical restraint in its initial public statements concerning the death. The agency stated that Lunas Campos was disruptive while waiting for medication, refused to return to his dormitory, and was placed into solitary confinement. Medical staff was subsequently called when he appeared to be in distress. ICE later acknowledged that security staff intervened as Lunas Campos resisted and continued attempting to harm himself, at which point he stopped breathing during the confrontation.
Witness testimony to news organizations detailed that Lunas Campos was handcuffed and held down by multiple guards, with one guard reportedly applying pressure to his neck until he lost consciousness. The autopsy report corroborated these accounts, noting injuries consistent with forceful restraint focused on the neck and back, leading to an oxygen deprivation fatal enough to cause death.
Camp East Montana, located on the grounds of Fort Bliss Army base near the U.S.-Mexico border, is a recently constructed detention facility designed to house thousands of immigrants. The private security personnel who made the 911 call began working at the facility shortly after it opened last September. Attempts to contact Lt. Walden and the Akima Global Services contractor for comments were unsuccessful.
Following Lunas Campos' declared death, a different Camp East Montana official requested that local authorities investigate the incident but was reportedly denied, with no law enforcement agency external to ICE currently confirmed as conducting an investigation.
ICE took custody of Lunas Campos in July after a surgical procedure in Rochester, New York. Although he had lived in the U.S. since 1996 and an immigration judge ordered his deportation in 2005 following a criminal conviction, he had not been deported. His subsequent release from state supervision occurred in 2017. Records also indicate a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety.
During the 911 call, Walden described Lunas Campos as having vomited and urinated on himself prior to being restrained. Camp East Montana staff were attempting to use a portable defibrillator to restart his heart when paramedics arrived. Emergency responders found him without a pulse and not breathing and performed advanced life support measures before pronouncing him dead.
An hour after the initial emergency call, Camp East Montana’s deputy director, Daniel Rios, contacted the county sheriff's office requesting a death investigation but was redirected to city authorities. Rios, who stated he was en route to the facility and did not witness the event, indicated a belief that Lunas Campos had hanged himself but admitted lacking full details and not wanting to mislead officials. Follow-up inquiries by Rios did not result in immediate police intervention.