Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas, is the location of a large Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. This facility is currently newsworthy due to multiple recent deaths of detainees and allegations of mistreatment. Within the past two weeks, two men held at the facility died. One death, of a Cuban migrant, is potentially being investigated as a homicide after an autopsy revealed asphyxia due to neck and chest compression. ICE initially stated the man died during a suicide attempt, but a witness claims guards choked him. A Nicaraguan man also died, with ICE reporting it as a suicide. Furthermore, a coalition of civil rights organizations has accused officers at the facility of beatings, sexual abuse, and illegal deportations. These events highlight concerns about the conditions and oversight within ICE detention facilities and raise questions about detainee safety and human rights.