Medical Examiner Set to Label Detainee's Death as Homicide in ICE Custody
A Texas medical examiner appears poised to rule that the death of a 55-year-old Cuban detainee, who died after struggling with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff, was a homicide. The medical examiner is waiting on toxicology results but believes the cause of death was asphyxia due to neck and chest compression.
According to an employee's phone call with Campos' daughter, the medical office likely classifies his death at Camp Montana East as a homicide, following a struggle that led to Campos losing consciousness and ultimately dying. The office has determined the preliminary cause of death, but is awaiting further results before making the official determination.
ICE initially reported that Campos attempted "to take his life" and violently resisted staff during the struggle. However, a detainee who claimed to be in the same unit as Campos disputes this account, stating that guards began choking him, prompting Campos to cry out "No puedo respirar," or "I can't breathe." The man claims he heard Campos' voice stop after he cried for help.
The death marks the second at Camp Montana East and the fourth ICE detainee death so far in 2026. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of detainees in ICE custody, including reports of inadequate medical care and excessive use of force by staff.
A Texas medical examiner appears poised to rule that the death of a 55-year-old Cuban detainee, who died after struggling with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff, was a homicide. The medical examiner is waiting on toxicology results but believes the cause of death was asphyxia due to neck and chest compression.
According to an employee's phone call with Campos' daughter, the medical office likely classifies his death at Camp Montana East as a homicide, following a struggle that led to Campos losing consciousness and ultimately dying. The office has determined the preliminary cause of death, but is awaiting further results before making the official determination.
ICE initially reported that Campos attempted "to take his life" and violently resisted staff during the struggle. However, a detainee who claimed to be in the same unit as Campos disputes this account, stating that guards began choking him, prompting Campos to cry out "No puedo respirar," or "I can't breathe." The man claims he heard Campos' voice stop after he cried for help.
The death marks the second at Camp Montana East and the fourth ICE detainee death so far in 2026. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of detainees in ICE custody, including reports of inadequate medical care and excessive use of force by staff.
this is so messed up how can u treat someone like that in a detention centre? its just not right they need better training on de-escalation tactics and also more support for their mental health its not just about the physical harm u cause but the trauma it leaves behind 
. Like, who gets killed while trying to get medical attention? It's so messed up how these ICE folks are treating people like they're disposable 
. I just wanna know what was going on that day and why Campos wasn't getting the help he needed. And now it seems like his death is gonna be labeled as a homicide... it's like, justice for him, you feel? 
But seriously, we need to keep pushing for change so this kind of thing never happens again 
. We gotta stand with the people who are already marginalized and vulnerable 
.
Detainees r human beings too u no 
when Campos' own friend said guards were choking him 
Not cool that ICE is tryna cover this up 
Hope the medical examiner gets it right and labels it as a homicide 
Justice 4 Campos! 
I'm not buying all this hype around Campos' death being ruled a homicide 
? Sounds like a pretty convenient spin to me 
. Detainees in ICE custody are already facing a lot of trauma and stress, do we really need to jump to conclusions about what happened here? Maybe we should wait for the whole investigation before making judgments 
.
55yo dude struggling in his cell and next thing you know he's dead...asphyxia due to compression sounds super harsh 
I'm guessing it's gonna be a huge scandal now and there'll be some serious changes made 
check out this article from NY Times - 
. What kind of environment are they trying to create? I'm thinking it's gotta be related to those allegations of inadequate medical care and excessive force... anyway, my heart goes out to Campos' family - hope justice gets served 
and now we've got a mom who's gonna have to live with the fact that her son died in custody? not cool at all 
the medical examiner is basically saying that Campos' death was a homicide because of how he died, which I guess makes sense, but what about all the other stuff that went down in his final moments? did anyone even care that he was struggling for air? 
No way, man. ICE needs some serious accountability for what's going down in those detention centers. This isn't just about one dude dying, it's a pattern of behavior that's been ignored for far too long. Toxicology results might confirm it, but I'm pretty sure the medical examiner already knows what happened - Campos was killed, plain and simple. 
.