EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — An independent journalist says detainees inside Camp East Montana raised concerns about medical care and living conditions after he was able to enter the immigration detention facility during recent visits.
Nick Valencia, a former CNN reporter who now works independently, shared a video online this week saying he had been inside Camp East Montana and spoken directly with detainees.
In the video, Valencia said what he heard during those conversations was “absolutely horrific.”
Valencia later spoke with KFOX14/ARC El Paso, where he explained he gained access to the facility while assisting an attorney as a translator during a client visit.
“I was invited in on behalf of an attorney who needed help translating and interpreting,” Valencia said during the interview. “So I went in to go visit his client.”
Valencia said detainees described what they believe is a spreading fungal skin infection inside the facility, along with concerns about delays in receiving medical treatment.
“They do ask for medical treatment, and eventually they do get it,” Valencia said. “But it takes sometimes up to two days.”
Jordan Salas reports on Journalist says detainees raised concerns after visits to Camp East Montana (Credit: KFOX14)
According to Valencia, detainees also described overcrowded living conditions, with dozens of people sharing the same room, where they sleep and eat in close quarters.
He said some detainees told him they were worried about becoming sick because of how closely they are housed together.
Valencia said one account he heard involved a serious medical emergency. He said a detainee told him that a woman inside the facility experienced heavy bleeding, passed out, and was taken for emergency surgery, where her uterus was removed.
Valencia said the detainee later told him the woman was returned to the facility and is now recovering.
The allegations come as Camp East Montana continues to face scrutiny following multiple reported deaths in recent months.
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KFOX14/ARC El Paso reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the allegations raised by Valencia. A spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the questions.
KFOX14/ARC El Paso also contacted the office of U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar. Her office said she has raised similar concerns about Camp East Montana for months, including issues related to conditions inside the facility and transparency from federal agencies.
KFOX14/ARC El Paso has not yet received a response from U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales.
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