ICE accused of overseeing “unfolding humanitarian crisis” at Texas detention center
Following the death of a detainee, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Texas is facing renewed criticism for reported human rights abuses.
The American Civil Liberties Union interviewed 45 detainees at Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss in El Paso, issuing a report in December that detailed than 80 human rights abuses, including “physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, and intimidation to self-deport.”
One detainee identified as “Samuel” said an ICE officer broke his front tooth and “grabbed my testicles and firmly crushed them,” as another “forced his fingers deep into my ears.”
Another, identified as “Eduardo,” said he was beaten unconscious by guards, then left in an “isolated punishment cell” for five days where he did not have access to his high blood pressure medication.
“These accounts reveal an unfolding humanitarian crisis at the military base — one which may spread across the country as the Trump administration expands detention dangerously, recklessly and with unprecedented speed,” the statement said.
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The ACLU criticized the facility on Monday, in light of the recent death of detainee Lunas Campos. Campos died after an altercation with ICE officers which was ruled a homicide. The ACLU described “extreme and unlawful use of force” as being “prominent” at Fort Bliss.
“His case has renewed calls to close the remote detention camp, long criticized for dangerous conditions and a rising toll of deaths,” the ACLU said in a media release.
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