A coalition of civil and human rights organizations is calling for the closure of a massive immigration detention facility at Fort Bliss, alleging guards have beaten detainees and threatened violence, criminal charges and imprisonment in attempts to coerce even non-Mexican migrants into crossing the border into Mexico.

The groups, including the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, sent a letter Dec. 8 to federal officials detailing the allegations based on interviews with more than 45 detainees. They describe guards using physical force, including abusive sexual contact, against immigrants who refused third-country deportations.

The letter also alleges detainees face insufficient food, medical neglect, squalid conditions with sewage flooding living areas, and weeks without outdoor access.

The tent facility, erected months ago on a former Japanese American internment camp site within the Fort Bliss complex, dubbed "Camp East Montana," currently holds over 2,700 people. An internal inspection by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September found at least 60 violations of federal standards within its first 50 days of operation, according to the human rights groups.

Last month, Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas protested that detainees at the camp were receiving foul-tasting water and rotten food.

From JURIST, Dec. 8. Used with permission.

Note: A Guatemalan immigrant held at Camp East Montana died last week in an El Paso hospital. Francisco Gaspar Andres, 48, was pronounced dead on Dec. 3, an ICE news release stated. The official cause of death is pending, but officials state it was likely because of "natural liver and kidney failure." (El Paso Times)

Fort Bliss was first opened as an emergency holding facility under the Biden administration.

See our last reports on Trump's detention state and the struggle in Texas.

See our last report on the World War II-era internment of the Japanese Americans.