Camp at Fort Bliss base on US-Mexico border described as ‘dangerous misuse of military land and resources’
Prominent Democratic lawmakers and legal advocates have called for the new immigration detention camp at Fort Bliss military base to be shut down amid accusations of lack of external oversight and concerns over access to legal services.
Camp East Montana began full operation last weekend as a sprawling tent facility across acres of military land in the eastern part of El Paso, on the US-Mexico border in west Texas, amid rapid expansion plans and much controversy.
Dubbed the “Lone Star Lockup” by Republicans, the new facility currently accommodates around 1,000 beds for men. It is set to expand to 5,000 beds at a cost of around $1.24bn in private contracts, making it the largest among the ranks of immigration detention facilities already working overtime across the US.
With an integrated operation to run deportation flights, the Texas military complex is set to transform part of itself into the deportation hub it was forecast to become for Donald Trump’s hard-right anti-immigration agenda.
