Human Rights Watch and ACLU report found 90% of interviewed Camp East Montana detainees beaten or witnessed beatings by guards

On July 15, 2026, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union jointly released an 84-page report finding a systemic pattern of abuse at Camp East Montana, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility on the grounds of the U.S. Army's Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and the nation's largest immigration detention center. Of the 71 detainees interviewed over a five-month period, 64 — about 90 percent — said they had personally been assaulted by staff or had witnessed others being physically abused. The report, titled "'You're Only Getting Out Deported or Dead': Abusive US Immigration Detention at Ft. Bliss," was based on interviews conducted as recently as the month before publication.

Detainees described being beaten in response to hunger strikes, requests for medical attention, and complaints about conditions, and said guards imposed collective punishment by assaulting multiple people after accusing one detainee of breaking rules. The report documented denial of necessary medical care, bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units, a lack of soap and basic hygiene supplies, spoiled food, and delays of up to 12 hours between meals. Researchers also found that staff pressured and coerced detainees into abandoning immigration claims and accepting removal to unfamiliar third countries under threats of violence, criminal prosecution, and indefinite detention. In some cases, the report concluded, the circumstances of confinement could amount to enforced disappearance, a potential violation of international human rights law.

The findings echo earlier reporting, including a Government Accountability Office audit that found mismanagement contributed to unsafe conditions and detainee deaths, and the homicide ruling in the death of a Cuban migrant held down by guards. Although ICE replaced the facility's prime contractor in March 2026 after an internal review documented 49 deficiencies, the report found that serious problems persisted. Lead researcher Angélica César said the facility "is a human rights disaster" and called on the government to shut it down and conduct independent investigations. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the report's findings "completely false," saying detainees receive proper food, water, medical care, and access to attorneys and family, and that no detainees are being beaten or abused [5].

Updates

2026-07-15 — Escobar renews closure calls, citing years of documented abuse [6]

U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX), whose district includes Camp East Montana, said the same day that the report "only further confirms" concerns she has raised since the facility opened, and that many of the most serious problems she has documented on nearly ten oversight visits persist despite some changes. She renewed her call for the facility's permanent closure.