Four detainees at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleging "inhumane" treatment and human rights abuses.
The lawsuit claims that guards beat Gerald Akari Angye, a plaintiff from Cameroon, so severely that he required hospitalization and a wheelchair. The lawsuit also alleges detainees don't receive timely medications for conditions such as HIV and cancer.
The Department of Homeland Security rebutted the claims, stating they are "categorically false." A DHS spokesperson said ICE facilities are regularly audited and inspected and that "all detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers." Camp East Montana opened in 2025 and can house up to 5,000 people.
Protests have erupted outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, with demonstrators alleging inhumane conditions inside. Tensions escalated on Saturday as pro-ICE protesters faced off against those supporting the detainees, resulting in clashes and a curfew. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka instituted a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew within a half-mile radius of Delaney Hall.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said protesters "attacked" a barrier between law enforcement and demonstrators Saturday night, charging at officers, throwing projectiles, and setting a fire. DHS said the area around the facility had been secured. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced the state would establish a protected peaceful protest zone outside the facility.
Six people were arrested outside the Delaney Hall facility late Friday night for failing to disperse after police orders. Five of the six arrested were from out of state: Pennsylvania and New York. DHS stated ICE agents had "been bitten and faced death threats and assaults from violent rioters in New Jersey."
GEO Group, the private company that runs the Delaney Hall facility, stated that staff responded to a "physical altercation involving detainees" on Thursday and used "control measures to safely resolve the situation, including the limited use of chemical agents." The company added that its response was "carried out in strict adherence to federal standards and comprehensive training," and that affected detainees were evaluated by on-site medical personnel and "were cleared with no serious injuries."
The ACLU senior staff attorney Kyle Virgien called Camp East Montana "a civil rights catastrophe".
Four detainees at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleging "inhumane" treatment and human rights abuses. The lawsuit lists "abhorrent medical and mental health care," "inappropriate use of force," and "sexual harassment by guards" as examples of the conditions. The plaintiffs seek class-action status, representing all current and future detainees at the facility.
The lawsuit claims that guards beat Gerald Akari Angye, a plaintiff from Cameroon, so severely that he required hospitalization and a wheelchair. Angye alleges he was then placed in solitary confinement for 15 days. Another plaintiff, Navdeep, claims he experienced dirty toilet water flowing into his sleeping area and wore the same clothes for three weeks. The lawsuit also alleges detainees don't receive timely medications for conditions such as HIV and cancer.
The Department of Homeland Security rebutted the claims, stating they are "categorically false." A DHS spokesperson said ICE facilities are regularly audited and inspected and that "all detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers." Camp East Montana opened in 2025 and can house up to 5,000 people.
Protests have erupted outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, with demonstrators alleging inhumane conditions inside. Tensions escalated on Saturday as pro-ICE protesters faced off against those supporting the detainees, resulting in clashes and a curfew. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka instituted a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew within a half-mile radius of Delaney Hall.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said protesters "attacked" a barrier between law enforcement and demonstrators Saturday night, charging at officers, throwing projectiles, and setting a fire. DHS said the area around the facility had been secured. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced the state would establish a protected peaceful protest zone outside the facility.
Six people were arrested outside the Delaney Hall facility late Friday night for failing to disperse after police orders. Five of the six arrested were from out of state: Pennsylvania and New York. DHS stated ICE agents had "been bitten and faced death threats and assaults from violent rioters in New Jersey."
GEO Group, the private company that runs the Delaney Hall facility, stated that staff responded to a "physical altercation involving detainees" on Thursday and used "control measures to safely resolve the situation, including the limited use of chemical agents." The company added that its response was "carried out in strict adherence to federal standards and comprehensive training," and that affected detainees were evaluated by on-site medical personnel and "were cleared with no serious injuries."
The ACLU senior staff attorney Kyle Virgien called Camp East Montana “a civil rights catastrophe”.
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