Civil Rights Groups Allege Beatings, Sexual Abuse and Covert Deportations at Fort Bliss ICE Camp

A coalition of eight civil-rights organizations has accused guards at Camp East Montana, an ICE detention site on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, of physical abuse, sexual violence and clandestine deportations of non-Mexican detainees into Mexico. The groups submitted a 19-page complaint that cites sworn statements from more than 45 detainees and calls for the immediate closure of the tent complex, which holds over 2,700 people.

Allegations From Detainees

The letter, sent to senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and Fort Bliss command and copied to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General and the Senate Armed Services Committee, documents multiple accounts of abuse inside Camp East Montana. Detainees describe masked officers ordering some non-Mexican asylum seekers—particularly people from Cuba and Guatemala—to "jump" the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Santa Teresa, New Mexico, under threat of criminal charges if they refused.

"The masked people sometimes beat on people to get them to jump the wall even if they don’t want to," said a Cuban detainee identified by the pseudonym "Eduardo," according to the letter.

Claims of Physical and Sexual Violence

The coalition's letter includes sworn declarations alleging excessive force and sexual violence used as punishment. One detainee using the pseudonym "Isaac" said guards slammed his head into a wall and one officer allegedly "grabbed and crushed my testicles between their fingers." Another youth, identified as "Samuel," reported severe injuries including broken teeth and testicular trauma requiring hospitalization; the letter also alleges he was billed for ambulance transport.

Conditions at the Tent Complex

Advocates describe overcrowded, soft-sided tent units that house up to 72 people each and report persistent plumbing failures. Detainees say sewage has backed up into sleeping and dining areas, that food portions were small and sometimes spoiled, and that people with chronic conditions—including diabetics and those with high blood pressure—were denied timely medical care. The letter characterizes these failures as "deliberate indifference."

Official Response

DHS and ICE officials have denied the allegations. DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a written statement that claims of "inhumane" conditions are "categorically false" and that detainees receive meals, medical treatment, showers and access to lawyers and family. McLaughlin also defended the agency's removal practices and said third-country arrangements protect due process and public safety.

Reporting, Oversight, and Calls for Action

The Washington Post reported it obtained internal ICE records corroborating some aspects of the detainees' accounts, though it said it could not independently verify every claim. Advocates—including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Estrella del Paso, the Texas Civil Rights Project and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center—are urging Fort Bliss officials and federal oversight bodies to investigate and to close the tent facility. Local leaders, including Representative Veronica Escobar, have demanded transparency and warned of a public-health hazard.

What Happens Next

The complaints have been forwarded to ICE leadership, DHS oversight offices and congressional committees. Investigations or inspections by independent oversight bodies may follow, and advocates continue to press for immediate remedial action, medical care for affected detainees and greater transparency about detention conditions and removal practices.