by Sharelle B. McNair
March 31, 2026
There have been several reports of inhumane conditions facing detainees, including one where an ICE inspection found conditions at the facility violated roughly 60 federal standards for immigration detention but that report was never released.
While Congress struggles to find funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the curtains are being pulled back on the horrid conditions U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees suffer at the country’s largest detention center, the Associated Press reports.
Over 100 calls to 9-1-1 and data from Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, paint a disturbing picture of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress for the thousands of detainees waiting to learn their fate amid the Trump administration’s anti-immigration war.
With more than 3,000 people living there, Camp East Montana is described as loud and unsanitary, where detainees struggle to receive sufficient healthcare and are fearful of angry security guards.
After opening in August 2025, data from the City of El Paso showed staff members were making at least one 911 call per day within the detention center’s first five months. During one call, specifically, a man was heard crying in agony after being assaulted by another detainee. A doctor told another 911 operator that a man was banging his head against the wall with thoughts of suicide.
A nurse mentioned a pregnant woman being in severe pain in addition to testing positive for COVID-19. A former property manager from Columbia, Missouri, Owen Ramsingh, spent weeks there prior to being deported to the Netherlands. He said, “Camp East Montana was 1,000% worse than a prison.”
“Every day felt like a week. Every week felt like a month. Every month felt like a year,” Ramsingh said.
The former Missouri native said his mental health took a toll with some of the things he experienced while there. He highlighted how the rooms and showers were often filthy and infested with insects, while detainees were known for stealing others’ food due to hunger, as the portion sizes were inadequate and meals were inedible, leading to fights.
According to Esquire, Ramsingh once overheard security guards taking bets on which detainee would be next to take their own life, adding $500 into a bet pool.
“Holy mother of God, what kind of salary are we paying these animals? This is the kind of shit that went on at Dachau,” he said, referring to the first regular Nazi concentration camp.
“This is the kind of shit that goes on here and now.”
The sense of suicide has riddled Camp East Montana. ICE said security guards responded Jan. 3 after a 55-year-old Cuban man attempted to harm himself and then later used handcuffs and force to restrain him. But a medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by asphyxia. Days later, on Jan. 14, staff reported a 36-year-old Nicaraguan man died by suicide just days after being detained while working in Minnesota.
But those aren’t the only ones. At least six other suicide attempts were reported.
There have been several reports of the inhumane conditions that detainees have and still are dealing with, including one where an ICE inspection found conditions at the facility violated roughly 60 federal standards for immigration detention.
However, that report was never released.
Could have something to do with a DHS spokesperson claiming the report was false without any context as to how or why. Even U.S. Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents the city of El Paso, has visited and called for its closure.
“This facility should not be operational. It feels like this contractor is reinventing the wheel, and people are losing their lives in their experiment,” she said.
RELATED CONTENT: Rep. Pramila Jayapal Pushes Reparations For Children And Families ‘Traumatized’ By ICE
