Detainees File Class-Action Suit Over Conditions At Texas ICE Megacamp
Four detainees filed a federal class-action lawsuit Saturday accusing guards and officials of abusive, squalid conditions at Camp East Montana, an ICE facility on Fort Bliss in El Paso.[1]
The complaint asks a judge to certify a class of all current and future detainees and lists beatings, sexual harassment by guards, spoiled food, and squalid housing among its allegations.[1] Plaintiff Gerald Akari Angye says guards beat him so badly he was hospitalized and then held 15 days in solitary.[1] Another detainee, identified only as Navdeep, says shared sleeping areas were contaminated and he went weeks without clean clothes.[1] The suit names ICE Director Todd Lyons and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin as defendants.[1] DHS emailed NPR that the claims are "categorically false" and that ICE facilities are regularly inspected.[1]
Camp East Montana is a sprawling ICE detention camp on the grounds of Fort Bliss in El Paso.[1] The lawsuit frames the alleged mistreatment as part of a sustained pattern inside the camp and asks the court to provide relief for all detainees who may face similar conditions.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Saturday, May 30, 2026, four detainees filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of Texas over conditions at Camp East Montana ICE detention center on Fort Bliss in El Paso.
- The complaint seeks class-action status for all current and future detainees and alleges beatings, sexual harassment by guards, squalid conditions, spoiled food, lack of hygiene items, disease outbreaks and little or no access to sunlight.
- Named plaintiff Gerald Akari Angye alleges guards beat him so severely he was hospitalized and later held 15 days in solitary, while another detainee, Navdeep, reports contaminated sleeping areas and weeks without clean clothes.
- The lawsuit names ICE Director Todd Lyons and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin as defendants; DHS responded in an email to NPR that the claims are "categorically false" and that ICE facilities are regularly inspected.
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