Largest US Migrant Detention Center Sued After Deaths
Civil rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging conditions at Camp East Montana, currently the largest immigration detention center in the United States, after three detainees died within the facility’s first nine months of operation. The lawsuit alleges widespread human rights abuses, inadequate medical care, excessive use of force, and unsafe living conditions at the detention center located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas.
The legal action was brought by a coalition that includes the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and the Texas Civil Rights Project. The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of four detainees currently held at the facility, claiming that conditions violate constitutional protections and federal detention standards.
Camp East Montana was established as part of President Donald Trump‘s expanded immigration detention strategy and currently houses more than 2,700 migrants. The facility consists largely of tent structures and temporary housing units and has become a focal point of criticism from immigration advocates and civil rights organizations.
According to the complaint, detainees are confined in overcrowded and windowless enclosures where they allegedly face physical abuse by guards, inadequate medical and mental health treatment, prolonged solitary confinement, and exposure to infectious diseases including tuberculosis and measles. Plaintiffs argue that these conditions amount to inhumane treatment and place detainees at serious risk of injury or death.
A major focus of the lawsuit involves the deaths of three detainees at the facility. One of the most significant cases concerns Cuban national Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death was initially attributed by immigration officials to medical distress. However, an autopsy later classified his death as a homicide caused by asphyxia resulting from neck and torso compression. The lawsuit alleges that Lunas Campos was denied asthma medication and subjected to excessive force before his death.
The complaint also references another detainee who allegedly died after being denied necessary cancer treatment while in custody. According to the filing, the individual was released shortly before his death after reportedly being deprived of chemotherapy and other essential medical care. Plaintiffs argue these incidents demonstrate systemic failures in the facility’s healthcare operations.
The legal challenge follows a federally mandated inspection conducted earlier this year that identified 49 violations of detention standards at Camp East Montana. Inspectors reportedly found deficiencies involving medical services, use-of-force practices, restraint procedures, and overall detention conditions. Those findings have become a key component of the plaintiffs’ arguments that federal officials were aware of serious problems yet failed to correct them.
The lawsuit names both the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants. Plaintiffs seek court intervention requiring improvements to living conditions, medical care, and detainee treatment practices. They also seek protections against future abuses and accountability for alleged constitutional violations.
Federal officials strongly dispute the allegations. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson denied claims of abuse, stating that detainees are not being mistreated and that the facility’s detention standards exceed those of many U.S. correctional institutions. Officials also rejected assertions that detainees are being denied medical treatment or exposed to unsafe conditions.
The lawsuit arrives amid growing scrutiny of immigration detention practices nationwide. Immigration detention deaths reached their highest level in two decades during 2025 as the federal government expanded detention capacity and increased immigration enforcement operations. Advocacy groups have argued that overcrowding and inadequate medical resources have contributed to worsening conditions across multiple facilities.
Legal experts say the case could become an important test of federal responsibility for detainee welfare during the government’s ongoing immigration enforcement expansion. The litigation may also draw attention to the standards governing privately operated and federally managed detention facilities.
The allegations remain unproven, and the defendants will have an opportunity to contest the claims in court. However, the lawsuit represents the first major legal challenge targeting conditions at Camp East Montana and could influence future oversight of immigration detention operations nationwide.
Key Legal Outcomes
- Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit over conditions at Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest immigration detention center.
- The lawsuit names ICE and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants.
- Plaintiffs allege constitutional violations involving medical care, use of force, and detention conditions.
- The case follows three detainee deaths, including one death ruled a homicide by medical examiners.
- The lawsuit seeks court-ordered reforms and improved protections for detainees.
Why This Matters
- The case challenges conditions at the largest migrant detention facility in the United States.
- Allegations of abuse and inadequate medical care raise serious human rights concerns.
- The lawsuit may influence standards governing immigration detention facilities nationwide.
- The litigation comes amid record-high immigration detention levels under expanded enforcement policies.
- Court rulings could affect federal oversight and accountability for detainee treatment.
