Cuban man, 38, witnesses guard put foot on detainee's neck before death in El Paso ICE facility
Jan 2026 · El Paso, TX, Cuba
Gonzalo, a 38-year-old Cuban man who traveled from Cuba through the Darién Gap over 12 days — during which he witnessed sexual violence and was robbed multiple times — was detained for approximately two months in an immigration detention facility in El Paso, Texas. He described witnessing guards violently restrain a cellmate during a protest over detention conditions. 'They put a foot on his neck,' he said. The detainee later died. Gonzalo's account is consistent with reporting about the death of Cuban detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose autopsy classified the death as a homicide caused by 'asphyxia due to neck and torso compression' during restraint by guards. Gonzalo was later deported to Mexico.
Sources
More incidents in Texas
- Venezuelan man deported to Liberia despite pending habeas caseAug 21, 2026 · TX
- 5-year-old boy detained with father en route to soccer game, held at Dilley facilityAug 20, 2026 · Austin, TX
- Man arrested by ICE agents at Texas home as owner demands warrantAug 20, 2026 · Brownsville, TX
- Man forced to ground by ICE agents in Brownsville shopping plazaAug 19, 2026 · Brownsville, TX
- Construction workers detained by ICE at Texas job siteAug 19, 2026 · Weslaco, TX
- Mother and two children ordered deported after months in Texas detention campAug 18, 2026 · Dilley, TX