WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Dozens of people held at a sprawling Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas say they were either beaten by guards or witnessed others being beaten, according to a new report issued by legal and human rights advocates.
The issued jointly Wednesday by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union also says men and women held at Camp East Montana, located at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, recounted being denied necessary medical care, forced to live in filthy conditions and fed inedible meals. Detainees also said they were prevented from contacting their lawyers or family members.
Of the 71 detainees contacted over a five month period, 64 鈥� about 90% of those interviewed 鈥� said they had either personally been assaulted by the staff or had seen others physically abused, according to the report.
鈥淚CE鈥檚 Camp East Montana is a human rights disaster,鈥� said Ang茅lica C茅sar, a fellow at Human Rights Watch and the ACLU who was a lead researcher for the report. 鈥淭he U.S. government should shut it down, conduct independent investigations into all abuses and deaths in custody, and put an end to mass deportations and mandatory immigration detention.鈥�
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying reports of inhumane conditions at its desert tent camp were 鈥渃ategorically false,鈥� that no detainees are being beaten or abused, and that 鈥淚CE takes seriously the health and safety of all those detained in our custody.鈥�
The new accounts of violence and substandard living conditions inside Camp East Montana are and others. At least three detainees held at the facility since it opened in August have died, including earlier this year after being held down by guards.
A local medical examiner later ruled that death a homicide and a said evidence in the case was 鈥渕issing or destroyed.” That report by the Government Accountability Office found mismanagement by the Department of Homeland Security had created unsafe conditions that contributed to detainee deaths and suffering even as millions of wasted tax dollars enriched contractors.
In March, the prime contractor that had been awarded a deal last year worth up to $1.3 billion to build and manage the camp, which was originally intended to hold up to 5,000 people. The Virginia company had , had never won a federal contract worth more than $16 million and lacked a functioning website.
The change came as an , which it defines as violations of detention standards or policies, in areas including the use of force and restraints, security and medical care.
Despite the change in contractors, interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU as recently as last month found serious problems at the camp have persisted.
Detainees recounted degrading and inhumane living conditions that included bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units and no access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies, according to the report. They also reported being held indoors for weeks without meaningful access to recreation, sunlight or fresh air.
People also described receiving spoiled food and inconsistent meal schedules, with delays of up to 12 hours between meals.
The report recounts detainees saying that guards beat detainees in response to hunger strikes, requests for medical attention and complaints regarding detention conditions. Several people said that guards imposed collective punishment, striking or assaulting multiple people after accusing one detainee of violating rules, according to the report.
Researchers found that staff pressured and coerced those held there into abandoning immigration claims and accepting removal to third countries if they could not be sent back to their own country. The detainees said they were threatened with violence, criminal prosecution, and indefinite detention if they refused deportation.
In some cases, the report concluded, the circumstances of ICE detention could amount to enforced disappearances, a potential violation of international human rights law.
Human Rights Watch and the ACLU called on the Trump administration to close Camp East Montana and to allow independent investigations into deaths in custody, excessive force, medical neglect and enforced disappearances.
鈥淭he abuses documented at Fort Bliss are the predictable outcome of the Trump administration鈥檚 mass deportation agenda, its brutal expansion of immigration detention, and the erosion of federal oversight mechanisms,鈥� said C茅sar, the lead researcher. 鈥淧eople at Camp East Montana are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and protected from harm.鈥�
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