A class-action lawsuit was filed on Saturday against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over what plaintiffs describe as "dire" conditions at Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention facility in the United States. The complaint, brought by a coalition of legal organizations on behalf of four detainees and all others currently or future held at the Texas camp, alleges severe violations of human and constitutional rights.
Conditions at Camp East Montana
The facility, a sprawling tent camp on the Fort Bliss military base near El Paso, has been operating since August 2025. The lawsuit paints a grim picture of life inside, describing it as "dangerous and abusive" with "squalid" living conditions. Specific allegations include "abhorrent medical and mental health care," "inappropriate use of force," "indiscriminate use of solitary confinement," "terrible, rotten, spoiled and inadequate" food, disease outbreaks, unsanitary conditions, and sexual harassment by guards.
The complaint states: "In the ten months that it has been operational, the facility has become notorious for flagrant human rights abuses. People endure confinement to windowless tents and suffer egregious physical abuse by guards." It further alleges exposure to measles, tuberculosis, and other diseases, with three reported deaths already.
Plaintiffs and Defendants
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in El Paso by groups including the ACLU of Texas, Human Rights Watch, and the Texas Civil Rights Project. The plaintiffs are Gerald Akari Angye, Navdeep, Erik Ivan Rodriguez Flores, and ZOR (a pseudonym), suing on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated. Defendants include the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, the Pentagon, and several officials.
Gerald Akari Angye, originally from Cameroon, reported being severely beaten by guards for insisting on speaking to an attorney. He stated: "I never thought I would experience such severely violent treatment by guards here in the United States of America. I am in pain and I am scared to be here."
Broader Context
Camp East Montana holds an average of 2,505 people daily, with capacity for 5,000. It has become emblematic of the rapid expansion of immigration detention under the Trump administration, alongside a surge in deaths and suicides in facilities nationwide. The lawsuit alleges that ICE has "gutted government watchdog agencies" and prevented congressional visits.
DHS has previously denied allegations of poor conditions, calling them "unequivocally false." However, the lawsuit contends that the cruelty is "by design" to deter immigrants from pursuing legal claims.
Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said: "Camp East Montana has had far too many dangerous and deadly consequences. We seek justice for those whose lives have been lost and detainees subjected to outrageous conditions."
