Montana
Camp East Montana ODs were related to psychiatric meds and self harm, DHS
Death in detention: deported migrant woman describes conditions inside ICE facility
Deported migrant woman recounts harsh ICE detention conditions after her husband died from medical complications inside Camp East Montana.
The Department of Homeland Security told the El Paso Times that two suspected overdoses at Camp East Montana over Memorial weekend were related to an overdose of psychiatric medication and a “self-harm” incident.
In both incidents on May 23 and May 24, the detainees were taken to the Rio Vista Behavioral Health center, a DHS spokesperson said.
The 35-year-old detainee who overdosed on psychiatric medication on May 23 was returned to the immigration detention center the same day and is in stable condition. The 34-year-old who overdosed on May 24 is currently being monitored by ICE medical staff after being returned.
“When there are signs of a detainee self-harming, staff abides by strict prevention and intervention protocol to ensure the detainee’s health and wellbeing is protected,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “ICE requires annual suicide prevention training and provides mental health service to detainees.”
The DHS spokesperson said that ICE provides “comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”
The El Paso ICE detention center is the largest in the country, with a capacity to hold 5,000 people. Allegations of human rights abuses have plagued the site since it opened in August 2025.
At least three suspected overdoses have occurred at Camp East Montana, according to 911 emergency calls analyzed by the El Paso Times. The first suspected overdose was reported on Feb. 28, involving a 60-year-old male detainee.
Rising deaths, suicides in ICE detention
At least 50 migrants have died in ICE custody since President Donald Trump returned to office, with 18 deaths occurring in 2026. At least 10 of these deaths were suicides, an investigation by the Associated Press found, including Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan migrant who died at Camp East Montana on Jan. 17.
U.S. representatives, including Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, Angie Craig, DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party)-Prior Lake, and other political leaders, have raised concerns about the conditions at the detention center following more than a dozen oversight visits. Congressional representatives have repeatedly raised concerns over detainees’ access to medical and mental health services.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, Texas Civil Rights Project, Human Rights Watch and the law firm Farella Braun + Martel LLP sued ICE on behalf of four detainees held at Camp East Montana over “horrific” human rights abuses in May 2026.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.