Report: Detainees at ICE facility in Texas report frequent beatings and other human rights abuses

Dozens of individuals detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas have reported experiencing frequent beatings and witnessing severe human rights abuses, according to a new report by legal and human rights advocates. The 84-page document, jointly issued by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), details harrowing accounts from Camp East Montana, located at Fort Bliss in El Paso.

Detainees recounted not only physical assaults by guards but also systematic denial of necessary medical care, being forced to live in unsanitary conditions, and receiving inedible meals. Furthermore, many reported being prevented from contacting their lawyers or family members, isolating them further. The report's findings are based on interviews with 71 detainees over a five-month period, with a staggering 64 individuals, approximately 90%, reporting either personal assault or witnessing others being physically abused by staff.

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ICE's Camp East Montana is a human rights disaster.

"ICE's Camp East Montana is a human rights disaster," stated Angélica César, a fellow at Human Rights Watch and the ACLU and a lead researcher for the report. She urged the U.S. government to "shut it down, conduct independent investigations into all abuses and deaths in custody, and put an end to mass deportations and mandatory immigration detention."

The allegations align with previous reports from outlets like The Associated Press, which have documented violence and substandard conditions at the facility. The report also highlights a pattern of mismanagement and contractor issues, noting that at least three detainees have died since the facility opened. One death, ruled a homicide by a local medical examiner, involved a Cuban migrant who died after being restrained by guards. A federal report found evidence in that case was "missing or destroyed," and that mismanagement by the Department of Homeland Security contributed to unsafe conditions and wasted taxpayer money, even as contractors were enriched.

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The U.S. government should shut it down, conduct independent investigations into all abuses and deaths in custody, and put an end to mass deportations and mandatory immigration detention.