Inhumane conditions at ICE detention camp, lawsuit says

The largest immigration detention center in the United States faces a lawsuit accusing it of inhumane conditions and human rights abuses. Camp East Montana, located on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, has seen three deaths in the nine months since its opening. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the complaint on behalf of four current detainees.

The sprawling tent encampment, established under former President Donald Trump's mass-deportation strategy, is operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This marks the first lawsuit against the facility, which currently holds over 2,700 detainees, with the ACLU aiming to improve their living conditions.

Lawsuit documents detail allegations of physical abuse by guards, abhorrent medical and mental health care, indiscriminate solitary confinement, and exposure to infectious diseases like measles and tuberculosis. Detainees are reportedly confined in windowless enclosures. One named plaintiff, Erik Ivan Rodriguez, claims he experienced physical violence while officials attempted to coerce him into signing deportation papers. Another, Gerald Akari Angye, alleges he was beaten by guards.

DHS has categorically denied the claims of inhumane conditions, stating that no detainees are being beaten, abused, or denied medical care. The department also reported no measles cases as of March 12 and no spike in ICE custody deaths under the Trump administration. However, a congressionally mandated inspection in February found 49 violations of detention standards, including issues related to use of force and medical care.

The lawsuit highlights the death of a Cuban immigrant in January, initially attributed to "medical distress" by immigration officials but later ruled a homicide by El Paso medical examiners due to "asphyxia due to neck and torso compression." The ACLU alleges he was beaten to death after requesting asthma medication. Another man died shortly after release, having allegedly been denied chemotherapy for cancer.

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We're suing to ensure that no other human being has to endure the inhumane treatment.