El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office

The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office is responsible for investigating deaths within its jurisdiction, including those occurring in detention facilities. The office is currently newsworthy due to its involvement in determining the cause of death for immigrants who have died in ICE custody in El Paso, Texas. Recent news articles highlight discrepancies between ICE's claims and witness accounts regarding the circumstances surrounding these deaths. Specifically, the Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a Cuban immigrant who died in an ICE detention facility, as a homicide due to asphyxia, contradicting ICE's initial claim of a suicide attempt. This finding is significant as it raises questions about the treatment of detainees and the accuracy of information released by ICE, placing the Medical Examiner's Office at the center of a controversial and high-profile investigation.