Legal Coalition Sues ICE Over Conditions at Camp East Montana

The legal action, brought by the ACLU, the Texas Civil Rights Project, Human Rights Watch, and others, alleges systemic abuse at the site. The complaint details reports of medical neglect, including a measles outbreak, the use of solitary confinement as a punitive measure, and the distribution of inadequate food. Plaintiffs also point to a history of physical violence, noting that the El Paso County Medical Examiner previously ruled the death of a 55-year-old Cuban detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a homicide by asphyxia.

Accountability and Expansion

Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that ICE has ignored longstanding evidence of rights violations, including reports of sexual abuse and restricted access to counsel. The facility, currently operated by Amentum Services Inc., has faced intense scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers. The lawsuit arrives as the administration pursues a broader $38 billion initiative to repurpose industrial warehouses into detention centers across eight states. Critics maintain that the current infrastructure, marked by extreme conditions and tent-based housing, meets the definition of concentration camps, echoing historical precedents of state-sponsored mass detention.