'A Cemetery of Living People': Abuses Alleged at Largest US Migrant Center

The largest migrant detention center in the United States, Camp East Montana, is facing severe accusations of abuse, including beatings, medical neglect, and inhumane conditions. A report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) details these allegations, based on interviews with 71 individuals detained at the facility located at Fort Bliss in Texas.

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"I can't breathe, God bless me."

One particularly harrowing case highlighted is the death of 55-year-old Cuban migrant Geraldo Lunas Campos. According to a witness, his last words were "I can't breathe" after guards allegedly restrained him. HRW describes his death as an "extrajudicial execution" under international law, citing the documented abuses as "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment."

Many of the interviewed detainees, who hailed from twelve Latin American and Caribbean countries, reported experiencing or witnessing physical assaults by guards. One Honduran detainee, identified by the pseudonym Germán L., stated that guards retaliate against those who request food, medicine, or assert their rights. He described the guards as wearing black uniforms and masks, lacking identification, and seemingly intent on demonstrating their absolute control.

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"When a person complains, they take it out on all of us."

Another detainee, a 32-year-old Venezuelan named Armando G., recounted being tackled to the ground by seven guards during a hunger strike. He alleged that one guard choked him while another pulled his hair and slammed his head against the floor, resulting in severe bruising and abdominal pain for which he received no medical attention. Lunas Campos is one of three migrants who have died at Camp East Montana in the past six months, and one of 50 deaths in ICE custody since 2025, according to Detention Watch Network data.

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"They wear black, use masks that cover almost their entire faces, and have no name tags."