A new tent camp designed to hold thousands of migrants for deportation has officially started operations on a U.S. military base amid sweltering summer heat.
According to a Spectrum News report, the facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, aims to become the largest of its kind in U.S. history as part of President Donald Trump's push for mass deportations. The camp, which opened Sunday, currently houses nearly 1,000 people in conditions that have sparked concerns over heat exposure and staffing shortages.
The Pentagon plans to expand the site to accommodate up to 5,000 beds in the coming weeks and months. Federal officials describe the camp as essential for detaining individuals targeted for removal under enhanced immigration enforcement.
Democrats Raise Human Rights Alarms
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat representing the El Paso area, toured the facility for about two and a half hours on Monday and observed elderly men among the detainees. She noted that while the camp currently holds only men, expansions could include women and possibly women with children in the future.
Escobar expressed worries that the massive setup lacks adequate staff and equipment to provide humane care for those held there. She is advocating for access by local officials, faith leaders, and media to monitor conditions and ensure transparency.
Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have highlighted Fort Bliss's historical role in detaining Japanese Americans during World War II and Mexican refugees earlier in the century. They also point to past instances where migrant children at the base suffered distress, anxiety, panic attacks, and self-harm, as detailed in a 2022 inspector general report from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Local Official Compares Camp to Nazi Era
El Paso County Commissioner David Stout labeled the facility a "concentration camp for migrants" in comments to NewsNation earlier this month. He voiced deep doubts about the treatment of people inside, warning that such actions could lead the country toward fascism.
Stout, who previously worked as a television reporter for Telemundo and Univision, described the developments as a slippery slope comparable to events in Nazi Germany. His statements reflect broader Democratic and activist criticisms of the camp's lack of oversight and potential for inhumane conditions.
The camp officially began detaining migrants as early as Aug. 1, with operations starting amid mid-90s temperatures following recent highs of 105 degrees. Critics argue that the tent-based structure is ill-suited for such extreme weather, potentially endangering detainees' health and safety.
Republicans Defend Facility as Secure
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, visited the site last week and stated that federal officials assured him only single adults would be held there, with no families or children involved. He emphasized that the detainees include up to 291,000 individuals classified as criminal aliens, meaning those with pending charges, convictions, or exhausted legal options.
Cornyn clarified that these are not everyday workers like gardeners or housekeepers, but people who have no remaining due process issues. However, he admitted during his visit that he only viewed the camp from a distance without entering the tents.
Federal data from the Marshall Project indicates that between January and May, only about 12% of deported individuals had convictions for violent or potentially violent crimes, contradicting claims that most detainees are dangerous criminals. Republicans and the Pentagon continue to promote the camp as crucial for Trump's deportation goals, supported by billions in funding from recent legislation.
Facility Faces Probes and Expansions
The camp, officially named Camp East Montana and nicknamed "Lone Star Lockup" by Cornyn, is under investigation by a government watchdog for how contracts were awarded to private companies, as confirmed by the Army to NBC News. Additionally, a 38-year-old worker named Hector Gonzalez died in a July workplace accident while employed by subcontractor Disaster Management Group, with the Army now examining the incident.
Construction costs for the facility are estimated at least $1.26 billion, according to reports from Bloomberg and Military.com. Trump's July legislation, dubbed the "big, beautiful bill," allocated $45 billion specifically for detention centers and over $170 billion overall for immigration and border efforts.
Comparisons have been drawn to Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" tent camp, where the ACLU and others reported abuse, unsanitary conditions, and restrictions on legal rights, though the Department of Homeland Security has denied these allegations. Cornyn assured the public that the Fort Bliss site offers humane and safe accommodations, often better than what detainees experienced before.
