A recent report by legal and human rights advocates reveals that dozens of individuals held at a large Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas claim they were either beaten by guards or witnessed others being beaten.

The 84-page report, released jointly on Wednesday by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, further alleges that individuals detained at Camp East Montana, located at the U.S. Army's Fort Bliss in El Paso, reported being denied essential medical care, forced to live in unsanitary conditions, and served inedible food.

Additionally, detainees stated that they were prevented from contacting their lawyers or family members.

According to the report, of the 71 detainees contacted over a five-month period, 64 — roughly 90% of those interviewed — reported that they had either been personally assaulted by staff or had witnessed physical abuse of others.

"ICE's Camp East Montana is a human rights disaster," said Angélica César, a fellow at Human Rights Watch and the ACLU who was a lead researcher for the report.

"The 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."

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement asserting that allegations of inhumane conditions at its desert tent camp were "categorically false," that no detainees are subjected to physical assault or mistreatment, and that "ICE takes seriously the health and safety of all those detained in our custody."

The recent reports of violence and deplorable living conditions at Camp East Montana are consistent with earlier accounts from journalists and other sources.

Since the facility opened in August, at least three detainees have died, including a 55-year-old Cuban migrant who stopped breathing earlier this year while handcuffed after being restrained by guards.

A local medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide, and a federal report released last month stated that evidence in the case had been "missing or destroyed."

The report, from the Government Accountability Office, attributed unsafe conditions that led to detainee deaths and suffering to mismanagement by the Department of Homeland Security, while millions of wasted taxpayer dollars enriched contractors.

In March, ICE replaced Acquisition Logistics, LLC, 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 no prior experience operating an ICE detention facility, had never secured a federal contract exceeding $16 million, and lacked a functional website.

An internal ICE review, which identified 49 deficiencies—defined as violations of detention standards or policies—documented the change in areas such as the use of force, restraints, security, and medical care.

Despite the change in contractors, interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU as recently as last month revealed that serious problems at the camp have persisted.

According to the report, detainees described degrading and inhumane living conditions, including bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units, and a complete lack of access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies.

They further reported being confined indoors for weeks, with no meaningful access to recreation, sunlight, or fresh air.

Individuals further reported receiving spoiled provisions and erratic meal schedules, with intervals extending up to 12 hours between meals.

The report details that detainees alleged guards retaliated against hunger strikes, requests for medical care, and complaints about detention conditions with physical abuse.

Several individuals stated that guards administered collective punishment, striking or assaulting multiple detainees after accusing a single individual of violating regulations, according to the report.

Researchers determined that staff subjected detainees to coercion and pressure, compelling them to relinquish their immigration claims and consent to removal to third countries when repatriation to their country of origin was not feasible.

Detainees reported being threatened with physical violence, criminal prosecution, and indefinite detention should they decline deportation.

In some cases, the report concluded, the circumstances of ICE detention could constitute enforced disappearances, a potential violation of international human rights law.

Human Rights Watch and the ACLU urged the Trump administration to close Camp East Montana and allow independent investigations into deaths in custody, excessive force, medical neglect, and enforced disappearances.

"The abuses documented at Fort Bliss are the predictable outcome of the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, its brutal expansion of immigration detention, and the erosion of federal oversight mechanisms," said César, the lead researcher.

"People at Camp East Montana are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and protected from harm."