‘Unsafe’ conditions at Texas ICE facility put immigrants at risk of injury or death, lawsuit says
Court filing alleges ‘physical abuse by guards’, ‘filthy living conditions’ and disease outbreaks at Camp East Montana
TL;DR
- Immigrants at Camp East Montana in west Texas face risks of serious injury or death due to extreme health and safety hazards.
- Experts and attorneys describe conditions as 'shocking the conscience' and far beyond those of secure prisons.
- The facility has allegedly violated dozens of official standards since its opening, with reported issues including poor healthcare, abuse, and disease outbreaks.
- A class-action lawsuit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of 'dire' conditions that violate detainees' human and constitutional rights.
- Allegations include physical and verbal abuse by guards, filthy and crowded living conditions, egregious medical neglect, and lack of basic hygiene products.
- Detainees have reported going days without medical care, experiencing outbreaks of measles and tuberculosis, and facing hunger.
- The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to protect the health and safety of detainees and require improvements to the facility.
- Previous incidents include three detainee deaths and the facility receiving a high number of government watchdog violations.