Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says

Source: US News and World Report/Reuters

Nov. 11, 2025, at 5:17 p.m.


Nov 11 (Reuters) - Detainees at the largest U.S. migrant detention camp endure foul-tasting drinking water, rotten food and inadequate healthcare, according to a U.S. congresswoman who called the tent facility in El Paso, Texas, "inhumane."

U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, made the allegations in a letter last week to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem based on complaints from migrants at the new $1.2 billion facility, called Camp East Montana. “Conditions at Camp East Montana are dangerous and inhumane,” Escobar wrote. “It is increasingly clear that it is not a safe nor professionally managed facility.”

Asked for comment on the letter, the Department of Homeland Security gave a statement issued in September that denied the center violated federal standards for immigrant detention, such as restricting access to legal representation, or was inhumane. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members," DHS said.

The center has become a target of criticism by Democratic legislators and immigrant advocates opposed to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Escobar wrote that conditions at the camp on the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base had not improved since she first protested to Noem weeks after it opened in August.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-11-11/migrants-at-largest-us-detention-camp-face-foul-water-rotten-food-congresswoman-says