El Paso Councillors Seek ICE Camp's Closure After Deaths and Reported Medical Neglect

Enforced disappearance, cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment, excessive use of force, life-threatening medical neglect and barriers to legal representation—these are just some of the issues that two El Paso Council members raised in seeking the closure of the city's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

Councillors Josh Acevedo and Lily Limón authored the agenda item for discussion at the next El Paso City Council session, scheduled for 27 October 2026. The councillors are asking the city manager and city attorney to draft a resolution calling for the closure of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) El Paso Camp East Montana.

What Is Camp East Montana?

Camp East Montana, at Fort Bliss military base, is the largest immigration detention facility in the US. It is a private, tent-based facility operated under contract with ICE. It can accommodate up to 5,000 people.

The councillors said the media, members of Congress and civil rights organisations have reported various alleged human rights violations against immigrants detained at the facility. Rights groups have also linked some of these alleged violations to detainee deaths.

'It is long past time to close this draconian facility that has been proven to bring harm to people housed there,' Acevedo told a local publication. 'Attorneys, civil rights organizations, and members of Congress have issued alarming concerns about the maltreatment and unlivable conditions at Camp East Montana, raising further concerns after three people have died while in custody.'

The proposed resolution identified three deaths reported at the facility: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48; Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55; and Victor Manuel Diaz, 36. Campos's cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to neck and torso compression, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Diaz's death was reported by ICE as a presumed suicide, although the official cause remained under investigation.

Councillors: Why Camp East Montana Should Be Closed

Councillors Acevedo and Limón included reports from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in citing Camp East Montana's alleged violations: 'beatings by guards, including beatings in response to hunger strikes, requests for medical care and protests after being kept indoors for weeks.'

HRW and the ACLU released an 84-page report in July 2026 detailing how dozens of detainees at the facility reported being forced to live in filthy conditions, fed inedible meals and denied necessary medical care. The organisations interviewed 71 detainees during their research, which covered several months, and found that 64 of them—about 90%—said they had either been assaulted by staff or had witnessed others being assaulted.

Following the organisations' joint report, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the claims were 'categorically false.' It said: 'ICE takes seriously the health and safety of all those detained in our custody.'

What Needs To Be Done

The El Paso councillors' end goal is the eventual closure of Camp East Montana. However, the city does not have the power to close the federal detention facility, so they are urging Congress to end the contracts that fund and operate it.

The proposed resolution urges the United States Congress to use its oversight authority to launch an independent investigation into the deaths that have occurred and the conditions at Camp East Montana, as well as to visit the border and conduct oversight visits at the facility to witness its conditions firsthand.