Private Security Guard's 911 Call Details Disturbing Sequence in ICE Detainee Death
A private security guard's emergency call to 911 has provided chilling new details about the death of a Cuban immigrant at a Texas detention centre, which has since been officially ruled a homicide by medical examiners. The recording, obtained through a public information request, captures the frantic moments as staff tried to revive 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos on January 3rd at Camp East Montana in El Paso.
"He Tried to Hang Himself, and Then We Put Him in Cuffs, and He Kept Going"
According to the 911 recording, the caller identifying himself as Lieutenant Paul Walden described how Lunas Campos had attempted to hang himself before being restrained by guards in handcuffs. "He tried to hang himself, and then we put him in cuffs, and he kept going," Walden told the dispatcher, though he did not elaborate on what specifically happened afterward. The City of El Paso has redacted portions of the call to protect medical privacy information.
This account appears to lend some support to an amended description later provided by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson, who stated days after the incident that guards had intervened when Lunas Campos tried to take his own life. The spokesperson claimed Lunas Campos "violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life," ultimately stopping breathing during the ensuing struggle.
Medical Examiner's Homicide Ruling and Witness Accounts
The El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office has determined that Lunas Campos died from asphyxia due to compression to his neck and torso, officially classifying the death as a homicide. The autopsy report noted that witnesses observed Lunas Campos become unresponsive while being restrained by guards, with injuries consistent with guards holding him down and applying pressure to his neck and back until his body was deprived of sufficient oxygen to survive.
This finding aligns with an account from a witness who told The Associated Press last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed while at least five guards held him down, with one guard placing an arm around his neck and squeezing until he lost consciousness. Unlike many homicide cases, it remains unclear whether any law enforcement agency outside of ICE is actively investigating the death.
Contradictory Accounts and Lack of External Investigation
ICE's initial statement on the death made no mention of any suicide attempt or physical restraint, instead describing Lunas Campos as becoming disruptive while in line for medication, refusing to return to his dorm, and being placed in solitary confinement. The statement indicated staff subsequently "observed him in distress" and contacted medical personnel for treatment.
Adding to the confusion, a second Camp East Montana official called police shortly after Lunas Campos was declared dead, requesting an investigation while stating he believed the detainee "just hung himself" but admitting he lacked specific details. Records indicate the El Paso Police Department ultimately did not become involved in the case.
Background of the Detainee and Detention Facility
Lunas Campos had lived in the United States since 1996 and was taken into ICE custody last July following an operation in Rochester, New York. An immigration judge had ordered his removal back in 2005 after he was convicted of sexual contact with a minor, though his deportation never occurred. He later served prison time on a drug charge and had been released from state supervision in New York in 2017.
Camp East Montana, built just last year to house thousands of immigrants in the desert at Fort Bliss near the U.S.-Mexico border, is operated with services from federal contractor Akima Global Services. The 911 caller, Paul Walden, has been a detention officer with Akima since September 1st, shortly after the camp's opening, according to his Texas private security guard license. Neither Walden nor Akima responded to requests for comment on the incident.
During the emergency call, Walden noted that Lunas Campos, who had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety, had vomited and urinated on himself. Camp staff were reportedly using a portable defibrillator in attempts to restore his heartbeat when emergency services arrived. El Paso Fire Department paramedics found Lunas Campos "pulseless and apneic on the floor of his cell" as staff performed CPR, providing advanced life support before he was pronounced dead.
