Human Rights Watch: Deaths and Neglect at Fort Bliss Immigration Detention

A Human Rights Watch report based on interviews with 80 people — including 71 detained at Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest immigration detention site — documents penned enclosures of up to 72 people per pod, weeks without outdoor time, spoiled food, flooded units, and detainees reporting frequent beatings. Witnesses said guards asphyxiated Geraldo Lunas Campos in the solitary unit after he requested medication; his January 3 death was ruled a homicide. Over 60 detainees interviewed said they had lawful documentation when arrested. HRW is calling for the facility’s closure and independent investigations.