Camp East Montana detention center abuse report prompts calls for shutdown

Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union released an 84‑page report based on 80 interviews with detainees at Camp East Montana, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility located on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas. The report alleges routine beatings by masked guards, chronic malnutrition, denial of medical care, unsanitary living conditions, and forced disappearances. Detainees said guards stormed tents, pinned them face‑down, and used excessive force in response to protests, hunger strikes or requests for basic needs. At least three deaths have been linked to the center, including a 55‑year‑old Cuban migrant whose death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected the findings as “categorically false,” asserting that detainees receive proper meals, medical treatment and due‑process protections. The report also claims that some migrants were pressured to accept deportation to third countries while their immigration cases were pending. The facility, which can hold up to 5,000 people, has been criticized for inadequate contracts, with the prime contractor changed after a watchdog identified dozens of deficiencies.

Human Rights Watch researchers called Camp East Montana “a human‑rights disaster” and urged an independent investigation and the shutdown of the camp. The allegations add to ongoing debates over U.S. immigration policy and ICE’s detention practices.