Beaten, abused, underfed: life inside an ICE detention facility in Texas
Detainees at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas told two rights groups they were beaten by guards, denied medical care and prevented from contacting family and lawyers, according to a report issued on Wednesday.
The report, issued by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, spans dozens of pages and is based on 80 interviews HRW conducted with detainees that focused on conditions at Camp East Montana, which is located at the US Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso.
“People detained at Camp East Montana reported routine beatings and other excessive force by guards, chronic malnutrition, and unsanitary and degrading living conditions,” the report said, citing interviews. “Together, these abuses violate fundamental protections under US and international human rights law.”
The report is the latest in a string of investigations documenting abuses at the facility, the largest immigration detention centre in the US.
The US Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, said in a statement that reports of inhumane conditions at the facility were “categorically false”.
“No detainees are being beaten or abused,” it said, adding ICE took seriously the safety and health of those who are detained and did not deny anyone medical care.
“All detainees receive full due process and are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” it added.