U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, a Democrat representing El Paso, reported that federal immigration officials restricted her oversight activities during a visit last month to Camp East Montana, an ICE detention center located at Fort Bliss military base in Texas. Escobar stated she was prohibited from speaking with detained immigrants at the facility, which operates as a large tent camp with capacity for 5,000 people. She also said her request for surveillance footage related to two reported incidents at the center has not been fulfilled.
The visit followed reports of two separate disturbances at the facility in early September. According to the Department of Homeland Security, detained immigrants allegedly assaulted staff on one occasion and caused significant damage to the facility during another incident approximately one week later. An ICE official at the site called 911 during one of these incidents, according to press reports, though details about what precisely occurred remain unclear.
Escobar’s experience is part of a broader pattern, according to her account. She noted that congressional oversight has become more difficult during the current administration than in prior years. Lawmakers previously sued the Trump administration over blocked detention facility access, and a federal judge ruled in favor of the lawmakers last December. Despite that ruling, subsequent reports indicate ICE officials have continued to place restrictions on or deny congressional visits.
The Department of Homeland Security disputed Escobar’s characterization, stating that members of Congress retain the legal ability to request detention facility visits and speak with detainees, and that the department does not prevent such meetings. A DHS spokesperson said the department considers some oversight visits “a media act.” Camp East Montana has faced ongoing criticism since opening last summer, with detainees and human rights organizations alleging abuse, inadequate medical care, and poor conditions. Multiple government audits and inspections have identified deficiencies at the facility, and at least three people have died in custody there, including one death ruled a homicide.
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