Post Reports: "A Mysterious Death Inside ICE's Largest Detention Center"

Date: January 21, 2026
Host/Reporter: Doug McMillan (with Martine Powers)
Podcast: The Washington Post’s "Post Reports"

Episode Overview

This episode investigates the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant who died in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, the largest migrant detention center in American history. Reporter Doug McMillan explores the opaque circumstances surrounding Lunas Campos’s death, the conflicting accounts offered by ICE and by witnesses, and what this case reveals about conditions and accountability in the rapidly expanding network of U.S. immigration detention facilities.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Black Box of U.S. Immigration Detention

• Opening Context (00:17):
  • President Trump’s expansion of immigration enforcement has led to more detentions, but the system is opaque even to detainees’ families.
  • "Family members of those arrested are sometimes left scrambling to find out where their loved ones have been taken and what will happen to them next." – Martine Powers

2. Who Was Geraldo Lunas Campos?

• Background (03:09–06:31):
  • Emigrated from Cuba in the 1990s, previously detained at Guantanamo Bay.
  • Lived in Rochester, NY; had three kids and a grandchild; struggled with employment due to immigration status and a criminal record.
  • ICE arrested him in July during a targeted operation, citing his criminal convictions—aggravated assault and child sexual abuse.

3. The Detention Facility: Camp East Montana

• Facility Description (06:31–08:42):
  • Makeshift tent city, built rapidly in the Chihuahuan Desert—crowded, noisy, lacking basic comforts and cleanliness.
  • Reports detailed violence from guards, poor medical care, and lack of recreation time.
  • Over 3,800 detainees, aiming to expand to 5,000.
  • "They said that they've been beaten by guards for complaining or for demanding medical treatment." – Doug McMillan (07:44)
  • ICE routinely asserts that its facilities "meet or exceed federal standards" despite repeated violations cited by inspectors.

4. A Family’s Search for the Truth

• Initial Aftermath (08:42–11:09):
  • ICE’s official notification to family: Lunas Campos died after "medical distress."
  • Family received little information and suspected a cover-up. The urgency to know what truly happened grows.
  • "[ICE] could be illegal, they could be whatever, but they still are human beings." – Jeanette Pagan Lopez (08:51)
  • Family discovered from the El Paso Medical Examiner that the preliminary cause of death was "asphyxia due to neck and chest compression," classified as a homicide—not explicitly a murder, but death caused by another person.

5. Eyewitness Account: Santos Flores’ Testimony

• Detainee Perspective (14:08–17:01):
  • Santos Flores, an inmate held in the same unit, witnessed the incident. He described seeing Lunas Campos, handcuffed and shackled, pleading for medication and refusing to enter his cell.
  • Flores said guards, at least five, forcefully restrained and choked Lunas Campos as he cried out he couldn’t breathe.
    • "We hear very clear. The guy said, I need my medication. And the guard was telling him, shut up." – Santos Flores (15:48)
    • "That was the last thing when he said, ‘I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.’ After that, we don’t hear his voice anymore." – Santos Flores (16:19)
  • Flores claims guards tried using a defibrillator for about an hour but Lunas Campos could not be revived.

6. ICE's Contradictory Account and Official Response

• ICE Statement and Pushback (17:18–18:31):
  • ICE/DHS describes the incident as a suicide attempt, stating that "Campos violently resisted the security staff."
  • Family and Flores dispute this, noting Lunas Campos was shackled and making future plans.
    • "He was planning on what to do next… How he gonna take his own life? And he’s handcuffed his hands and feet. I know for a fact that he didn’t take his own life." – Jeanette Pagan Lopez (18:05)
• Retaliation Concerns:
  • Santos Flores and others who spoke to the press faced possible deportation soon after sharing their witness accounts.

7. Pattern of Deaths and Systemic Concerns

• Wider Crisis (18:31–20:54):
  • Over 280 people have died in ICE custody since 2004; at least 30 in the previous year—the highest in two decades.
  • ICE argues that, per capita, the death rate is at its lowest, but detainee advocates and families see a worsening crisis, largely unacknowledged by authorities.
  • Additional deaths, including a "presumed suicide" at the same El Paso camp, underscore the urgency and gravity of the situation.

8. The Family’s Ongoing Search for Justice

• Seeking Accountability (20:54):
  • Lopez hires a lawyer to pursue civil litigation.
    • "I can't bring him back. I need like justice of what happened to him and maybe, hopefully that it won't happen to nobody else." – Jeanette Pagan Lopez (20:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Human Dignity:

  • "The government needs to understand that these are human beings, regardless of what it is. They could be illegal, they could be whatever, but they still are human beings."
    — Jeanette Pagan Lopez (08:42)

• On ICE's Public Statements:

  • “I feel like it's unfair. It makes me feel like they're covering their. And I'm sorry for saying like that.”
    — Jeanette Pagan Lopez (09:31)

• On Official Cause of Death:

  • "[The doctor] is listing the preliminary cause of death as asphyxia due to neck and chest compression. Right now our doctor is believing that we're going to be listing the manner of death as homicide."
    — El Paso Medical Examiner (02:32)

• Witness Account of Death:

  • "That was the last thing when he said, ‘I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.’ After that, we don’t hear his voice anymore."
    — Santos Flores (16:19)

• Disputing the Suicide Claim:

  • "He was planning on what to do next about how to stay in contact with his kids once he was deported. How he gonna take his own life? And he's handcuffed his hands and feet. I know for a fact that he didn't take his own life."
    — Jeanette Pagan Lopez (18:05)

• On Pursuing Justice:

  • "Like I can't bring him back. I need like justice of what happened to him and maybe, hopefully that it won't happen to nobody else."
    — Jeanette Pagan Lopez (20:54)

Major Segments & Timestamps

• 00:17 – 03:09: Introduction, context on ICE detention, the “black box”
• 03:09 – 06:31: Lunas Campos’s background and journey
• 06:31 – 08:42: Description of Camp East Montana and its conditions
• 08:42 – 11:09: Family’s reaction to ICE’s notification and subsequent investigation
• 13:48 – 17:01: Eyewitness (Santos Flores) describes the fatal incident
• 17:01 – 18:31: ICE’s official narrative and the family’s rebuttal
• 18:31 – 20:54: Patterns of deaths in ICE custody, retaliation against witnesses, advocacy for accountability
• 20:54 – 21:18: Family’s pursuit of justice

Tone and Language

• The reporting is urgent, methodical, and empathetic, giving voice to those directly affected while scrutinizing official narratives.
• The family’s voices are raw and determined, expressing grief and a demand for accountability, while detainee testimony is vivid and distressing.

Conclusion

“A mysterious death inside ICE's largest detention center” shines a light on the human cost of expanded immigration enforcement and the secrecy inside U.S. detention centers. The episode details the struggle for truth faced by families and the press, the precarious position of detainees, and the resistance of authorities to accountability. Above all, it questions whether current systems can ensure basic dignity and justice for all people held within them.