Inhumane conditions at ICE facilities linked to detainee deaths, lawsuit alleges

A sprawling immigration detention facility in the Texas desert has become the site of severe human rights abuses, according to a class action lawsuit and detainee testimonies. Camp East Montana, described as the largest and most substandard Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the US, allegedly subjects individuals to deplorable living conditions.

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When you get to El Paso, Texas, there’s no going back. You’re only getting out deported or dead.

Detainees report being forced to wear dirty clothes for weeks, drink contaminated water, and live in cramped, unhygienic tents. One detainee described being confined to a windowless tent for 23 hours a day, while another recounted going a month without seeing sunlight. The facility reportedly lacks adequate ventilation, and basic hygiene supplies are not provided.

The lawsuit and accompanying reports from Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union detail the profound psychological impact on those detained. Many experience depressive episodes and suicidal thoughts, feeling forgotten and dehumanized. Lawyers leading the case state that such an environment leads to mental breakdown and the emergence of suicidal ideation due to the absence of proper psychological support.

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I sometimes look at my bed sheets, and I wonder if it would be easier to hang myself instead of trying to survive this torture. I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling. I feel forgotten.

Tragically, the facility has also seen deaths. Lunas Campos died in January, with ICE noting psychological distress and self-harm attempts. Victor Manuel Diaz also died by suicide the same month. Camp employees are accused of routinely beating detainees and denying them necessary medical attention, further exacerbating the dire situation.

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those trapped daily in such an environment start to mentally break down and no longer feel human, adding that suicidal thoughts can emerge in the absence of proper and consistent psychological support.