Abuse and Neglect Alleged at ICE Detention Camp in Fort Bliss, Texas

Allegations of serious mistreatment have emerged from Camp East Montana, the sprawling immigration detention site at Fort Bliss army base in Texas. A group of prominent civil rights organizations claims detainees have endured brutal beatings, sexual violence and secretive deportations without due process.

Coalition Calls for Immediate Action

In a 19-page letter sent to senior officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Fort Bliss command, eight advocacy groups—including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Estrella del Paso, the Texas Civil Rights Project and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center—assert that conditions at Camp East Montana violate “agency policies and standards, as well as statutory and constitutional protections.” The letter demands the facility’s closure, noting that more than 2,700 individuals are confined in a network of tents.

“In light of these abuses, we urge the end to detention of immigrants at Fort Bliss,” the letter states. It was addressed to ICE acting director Todd Lyons and copied to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general and the Senate armed forces committee.

Denials from DHS

ICE spokespeople in El Paso referred inquiries to DHS, which publicly rejected all accusations. “Any claim that there are ‘inhumane’ conditions at ICE detention centers are categorically false. No detainees are being beaten or abused,” said DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a written response.

Reports of Forced Border Crossings

According to sworn affidavits from over 45 detainees, masked officers ordered some to “jump” the barrier on the US-Mexico border or face imprisonment. The letter alleges that non-Mexican nationals—primarily asylum seekers from Cuba and Guatemala—were shackled, driven west from El Paso to Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and compelled to scale the wall into Mexico without any legal removal proceedings.

“The masked people sometimes beat on people to get them to jump the wall even if they don’t want to,” said “Eduardo,” a Cuban detainee cited under a pseudonym. He claims officers threatened to send him to prison in “Africa or El Salvador” if he refused.

McLaughlin warned that unauthorized entrants risk removal to third countries: “If you break our laws and come to our country illegally, you could end up in any number of third countries. Our message is clear: criminals are not welcome in the United States. These third-country agreements, which ensure due process under the US constitution, are essential to the safety of our homeland and the American people.”

Verification and Media Access

The Washington Post first reported the letter, noting that internal ICE records confirm four Cubans resisted removal on the dates they described. The Post also cited limited media access to the base facility.

McLaughlin told the Post detainees receive adequate meals, medical care, showers and legal access, dismissing claims of rights violations.

Allegations of Physical and Sexual Violence

Inside the camp, the coalition letter details incidents of “excessive force” and sexual assault used as punishment. “Isaac,” another Cuban named under a pseudonym, alleged guards slammed his head against a wall and “grabbed and crushed my testicles between their fingers, which was very painful and humiliating.”

A teenager identified as “Samuel” reported an officer “grabbed my testicles and firmly crushed them” and “forced his fingers deep into my ears,” before guards beat him unconscious for turning off a light. He suffered broken teeth and testicular injuries requiring hospitalization and was allegedly billed for his ambulance ride.

Living Conditions and Medical Concerns

The facility’s soft-sided tents, housing up to 72 people apiece, reportedly suffer plumbing failures that allow sewage to flood living and dining areas. Detainees say they have been forced to use their own clothes to soak up waste for lack of cleaning supplies.

Medical neglect is described as “deliberate indifference,” with diabetics denied insulin for days and hypertensive patients ignored until emergencies arise. Food portions, described as “fist-sized,” often spoil, causing rapid weight loss.

McLaughlin told the Guardian detainees have “full access to legal counsel, hygiene facilities and dietitian-certified meals,” adding, “No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been treated better than illegal aliens in the United States. Get a grip.” When pressed for further details on each allegation, DHS simply responded: “No.”

Advocates Cite Lack of Oversight

Eunice Hyunhye Cho, senior counsel at the ACLU National Prison Project, said her organization and others have logged numerous complaints about inadequate care at Fort Bliss. Cho warned that detaining thousands in desert tent camps on a military base with limited staffing was “a recipe for humanitarian disaster,” and lamented that “this nightmare has come true.”

Local leaders and migrant-rights advocates have long criticized the vulnerability of detainees in such makeshift conditions. Texas congresswoman Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, has demanded transparency from DHS after hearing of “dangerous and inhumane” conditions she called a “public health hazard.”