“He said ‘I can’t breathe'”: Medical examiner likely to call ICE detainee death a homicide

A medical examiner in El Paso County, Texas, appears ready to call the death of a 55-year-old Cuban detainee in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody a homicide, according to a phone call reviewed by The Washington Post.

An employee for the medical examiner told the daughter of Lunas Campos that the office is likely to classify his death at Camp Montana East on Jan. 3 as a homicide, according to a recording of the call. Campos died following a struggle with detention, per a document obtained by The Post. 

The employee said the doctor found “the preliminary cause of death as asphyxia due to neck and chest compression,” meaning enough pressure was applied to stop his breathing.  

The doctor is waiting for the results of a toxicology report, but believes “that we’re going to be listing the manner of death as homicide,” according to the employee. 

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that Campos attempted “to take his life” and “violently resisted” staff. 

“During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness. Medical staff was immediately called and responded. After repeated attempts to resuscitate him, EMTs declared him deceased on the scene,” McLaughlin said in a statement. She called the matter an “active investigation.”  

Court document show that Campos had a criminal history including convictions for aggravated assault with a weapon and first-degree sexual abuse involving a child under 11 years old. ICE reportedly arrested him in July 2025. 

Start your day with essential news from Salon.Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Santos Jesus Flores, a man who claimed to be in the same detention unit as Campos, said he saw Campos struggling with guards, complaining that he did not have access to his medication. Flores claimed guards began choking him, causing Campos to cry out “No puedo respirar,” meaning “I can’t breathe” in Spanish.

“He said, ‘I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe.’ After that, we don’t hear his voice anymore and that’s it,” Flores told The Post.   

Campos’s death is the second at the violation-heavy Camp Montana East and the fourth death of an ICE detainee so far in 2026.