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The family of Geraldo Lunas Campos, the 55-year-old Cuban migrant who died on January 3 while in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a detention center in El Paso, Texas, has filed a lawsuit claiming over one million dollars in damages against four guards and the companies responsible for operating the facilities.
The lawsuit, filed in a state court in El Paso County and revealed by The Washington Post on July 2, claims that the agents caused the death of the Cuban by violently restraining him and that the companies responsible for the center did not train or supervise them adequately. It also accuses those in charge of ignoring the medical needs stemming from the mental illness that Lunas Campos suffered from.
The lawsuit was filed against the four guards involved and against Acquisition Logistics, the company managing the Camp East Montana center; Akima Global Services, the employer of the security personnel; and Nana Regional Corp., the parent company of Akima.
One of the central elements of the case is the autopsy performed by the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office, which concluded that Lunas Campos died from asphyxia caused by neck and torso compression, and classified the death as homicide.
That result contradicts the version provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its spokesperson, Lauren Bis, stated that the Cuban "attempted to take his own life" and that "security personnel intervened immediately to save his life."
However, a cellmate stated to The Washington Post that on the day of Lunas Campos' death, the center's staff repeatedly refused to provide him with the medication he needed, a situation that led to the fatal altercation.
According to the lawsuit, four guards tackled him and restrained him face down. The document states that even after the Cuban yelled that he couldn't breathe, "the guards continued to hold him on the ground, applying pressure to his neck and chest until his body became limp."
Lunas Campos suffered from bipolar disorder and anxiety, and had been reliant on antidepressant medications since before entering the detention center in September 2025. He had been arrested by ICE agents two months earlier in New York.
The medical records collected by the Office of the Medical Examiner, contained in a 279-page file, describe a series of alleged negligence during his detention. The Cuban reported from the first months that he was not receiving his treatment properly; in November 2025, he went four days without his medication, and three months before his death, he was found in a solitary cell with a sheet tied around his neck.
The medical staff assessed the possibility of transferring him to a specialized center to address his psychiatric condition, but that recommendation was never carried out.
The investigation into the case remains open. The FBI took over the case in January and the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, confirmed before Congress on April 16 that the case had been referred to that federal agency. Additionally, in March, the DHS terminated the contract with Acquisition Logistics and appointed a new company to manage Camp East Montana.
As part of the judicial process, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation of two migrants who witnessed the death of Lunas Campos to ensure they can testify as witnesses.
The death of the Cuban is part of an increase in deaths under immigration custody in the United States. According to The Washington Post, at least 20 people have died this year in ICE detention centers, a figure that could become the highest recorded in a single year.
In a statement to the American newspaper, DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis reiterated that "this is an ongoing investigation and more details will be released soon. ICE is investigating the circumstances of all deaths that occurred while in custody."
Due to the same deaths, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and allied organizations filed a federal class action lawsuit against ICE in early June over the conditions at Camp East Montana.
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