Complaint Alleges Beatings, 'Mental Torture' and Genital Assaults at Largest ICE Facility in the Country

Civil rights organizations have filed a complaint with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleging that immigrants detained at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas, have been beaten and coerced by federal officers.

In the complaint, based on interviews with 45 detainees at the facility, The American Civil Liberties Union and several other groups described "deteriorating conditions" and the use of force, including incidents in which detainees reported being kicked, restrained, or subjected to physical abuse such as guards "firmly crushing" their testicles. One Venezuelan detainee said he had not seen sunlight in more than three months.

The allegations were outlined in a formal complaint sent to ICE by the ACLU and several human rights organizations.

According to sworn declarations, detainees said officers pressured them to cross into Mexico or accept removal to countries where they have no ties. One Cuban detainee said guards threatened to "put bags over our heads and send us to Mexico," while another told advocates he was driven to a border wall and told to jump or remain detained indefinitely. The complaint states the reported actions violate due process protections that require notice and the opportunity to contest removal to third countries.

The ACLU said the testimony reflects a broader humanitarian crisis at the site. In a statement, the group cited "violent assaults and sexual abuse by officers," food shortages, inadequate medical care, and limited access to legal counsel, as the organization outlined in an official statement. "This is not an anomaly; it is a warning," the ACLU wrote.

Human Rights Watch also urged ICE to end detention at Fort Bliss through a statement of its own. The group referenced interviews with detainees who said officers used threats of imprisonment abroad to compel them to cross the border. One case highlighted by the organization mentioned a detainee which stated that guards warned he could be sent to jail in El Salvador or Africa if he refused.

The human rights organizations called for "a thorough investigation" into the allegations, an end to coercive removal practices, and the closure of the detention camp. The letter follows earlier reports that Fort Bliss violated more than 60 federal detention standards within weeks of opening.

"I am scared of retaliation for speaking about my experience here," one detainee wrote. "But I believe the whole world should know what is happening."

Fort Bliss is the largest detention facility in the country, holding roughly 3,000 people, just a few thousand shy of its planned maximum capacity. With a $1.2 billion price tag, the Texas facility is the administration's first detention space at a military base.