Texas Lawmakers Sound Alarm on ‘Torture, Killing, and Inhumane Treatment’ of Detainees in Fort Bliss ICE Facility

Texas Lawmakers Demand Investigation into Alleged Torture, Deaths, and Human Rights Abuses at Fort Bliss Detention Facility

A coalition of Texas legislators is sounding the alarm over disturbing reports of torture, killings, and inhumane treatment at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso. In a letter signed by 36 Democratic state House members, Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos (D-102) called for an immediate investigation into what she described as a “crisis of conscience” unfolding on American soil.

The facility, constructed in August as part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts, has already been marred by controversy. Built under a secretive $1.2 billion Pentagon contract awarded to a private contractor, the sprawling tent city was designed to hold approximately 5,000 detainees. However, almost immediately after its opening, reports of substandard conditions began to surface, raising serious concerns about the treatment of those held there.

According to the legislators, the facility has repeatedly violated federal detention standards, with ICE inspections revealing over 60 violations within its first 50 days of operation. These violations included non-functional toilets and sinks, inadequate food provisions, and a lack of access to telephones for detainees to communicate with family or legal representatives. “Detention is non-punitive,” the lawmakers wrote, citing ICE’s own guidelines, yet “the facility, for months, was being run like a prison in a country without standards for oversight, health, or safety for the inmates.”

The situation has only worsened in recent months. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who conducted an unannounced visit to the facility, disclosed that at least two cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19 have been identified among detainees. “While the private corporation continues to pocket our tax dollars, it’s clear the conditions are only getting worse,” Escobar said.

The legislators also highlighted a December letter from the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and other civil rights organizations, which detailed allegations of illegal and extrajudicial attempts to deport detainees to Mexico. One detainee, identified as “Benjamin,” a Cuban immigrant, reported being threatened by guards who attempted to force him to sign a document agreeing to deportation. “The guards told him that if he did not, they would handcuff him, put a bag over his head, and send him to Mexico,” the letter stated. Benjamin refused, citing fears of kidnapping, robbery, or murder in Mexico.

The allegations of abuse extend beyond threats. Detainees have reported physical and sexual assault by officers, including instances of guards crushing testicles, slamming individuals to the ground, stomping on them, and punching their faces—even after they were handcuffed and restrained. These accounts paint a harrowing picture of systemic abuse within the facility.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, three detainees have died at Camp East Montana in just two months. On December 3, 48-year-old Guatemalan inmate Francisco Gaspar-Andrés died of natural causes, specifically liver and kidney failure, according to an ICE press release. On January 14, 36-year-old Victor Manuel Diaz was found dead of an apparent suicide, though the cause of death remains under investigation. Prior to that, on January 3, 55-year-old Cuban inmate Geraldo Lunas Campos was reported to have died by suicide. However, witnesses claimed they saw guards choking Lunas Campos, who was heard saying, “I can’t breathe.” An autopsy later ruled his death a homicide, citing asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.

The lawmakers emphasized that while Lunas Campos was convicted of heinous crimes, including sexual contact with an 11-year-old, “he was not sentenced to death by a judge or jury—he was killed by someone responsible for his care, for unknown reasons or circumstances.” They stressed the need for accountability, stating, “It is our responsibility as Texas legislators to ensure that we can trust that jails, prisons, and detention facilities in Texas operate to our high standards and expectations.”

The call for an investigation comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to rapidly convert at least two dozen warehouses into massive new detention centers across the country, with at least three locations planned for Texas. One facility in Hutchins, outside Dallas, is expected to hold around 9,500 inmates.

The legislators concluded their letter with a powerful statement: “Human rights abuses, ignoring due process requirements, repeated violation of federal regulations, clear disrespect for the United States Constitution, and murder are unconscionable on any inch of American soil—but these crimes against real people are happening in Texas, and require proud Texans to stand up in defense of our Constitution and use our power to end this widespread abuse.”

As the investigation unfolds, the spotlight remains on Camp East Montana and the broader implications of the U.S. immigration detention system. The lawmakers’ demands for transparency and accountability serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the systemic failures that have allowed such abuses to occur.

Tags: Texas, immigration, ICE, Fort Bliss, Camp East Montana, detention, torture, human rights, ACLU, civil rights, abuse, deaths, investigation, DHS, Constitution, accountability

Viral Sentences:

• “Torture, killing, and inhumane treatment” at Texas detention facility.
• “Run like a prison in a country without standards.”
• “Guards threatened to put a bag over his head and send him to Mexico.”
• “Detainees report guards crushing testicles and stomping on restrained individuals.”
• “Three deaths in two months at Camp East Montana.”
• “Murder is unconscionable on any inch of American soil.”
• “Proud Texans must stand up in defense of our Constitution.”
• “Private corporations pocketing tax dollars while conditions worsen.”
• “Systemic failures in the U.S. immigration detention system.”
• “Urgent call for transparency and accountability.”

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