We expose the anatomy of the governmental machinery that the Department of Homeland Security uses to (1) conduct immigration arrests on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, (2) transport individuals in unmarked vehicles with masked agents to the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, (3) detain individuals in grossly inhumane conditions at Whipple, (4) transport individuals in handcuffs and shackles to Texas, and (5) detain adults and children in grossly inhumane conditions in Texas facilities (including worms in food; physical and sexual abuse; sewage water flooding into eating areas).
We document these patterns across the different stages through the use of sworn declarations and court filings.
Who is caught in the pipeline? U.S. citizens have been caught up in all five stages, as have individuals who are legal residents and others with pending legal status. Indeed, of the three exits out of the pipeline, many have been released pursuant to a court order finding the government unlawfully detained them.
〉 Stage 1: Seized in Minnesota
Beginning in December 2025, under “Operation Metro Surge,” ICE and CBP agents conducted warrantless arrests of residents across Minneapolis and St. Paul — at homes, on roads, during check-ins, and outside stores. Targets included U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and others with legal status and without a final order of removal.
Racial profiling documented in Hussen v. Noem: The ACLU class-action lawsuit contains 29 sworn declarations. 100% of declarants had legal status or status pending — the supermajority are U.S. citizens. No warrants were shown. Somali and Latino communities and individuals were apparently systematically targeted based on appearance. All declarations are collected from the court docket and available in a bank at Just Security.
Declaration of Mubashir Khalif Hussen (U.S. Citizen, lead plaintiff) — Hussen v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00324 (D. Minn.) Dec. 10, 2025:
As I exited the building, I paused outside one of the restaurants below my workplace to speak with a random person on the street about what had happened earlier outside.
…
At this point I noticed an unmarked, tan SUV approaching us. … A tall Black male wearing a ski mask that obscured his face and a police-style vest exited the vehicle and began quickly walking towards me. The person did not say ‘stop,’ did not say who he was, and did not say anything about a warrant. … He quickened his pace, and came at me, grabbed me forcefully, pushed me into the restaurant, and asked, ‘Why are you running from me?’ immediately started repeating over and over again, ‘I’m a citizen, I’m a citizen,’ but the officer did not stop or ask to see my identification. The officer kept saying, ‘That don’t matter, that don’t matter.’
Declaration of J.I.B.C. (applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum) — Doc. 26 in The Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/28/2026:
After leaving the T-Mobile store, I entered my car, started it, and began reversing. Suddenly, another vehicle struck my car. When I looked around, four agents surrounded my car, opened its doors, and started to enter the car to pull me out. The agents forced me out of my car. I asked for a moment to show them my immigration documents and told them that I had papers, but they did not allow me to do anything. When I grabbed my cellphone, they pulled me out of the car and threw me to the ground.
Declaration of J.J.B. (has refugee status) — Doc. 27 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
When I parked in front of my house, I was surrounded by around 20 people, some of whom pulled me out of the car. Some wore vests saying ‘POLICE ICE’ while others’ vests said ‘POLICE’ or ‘ERO.’ I surrendered peacefully and was arrested. The officer put me in the car and took my phone away. He then drove me around Minneapolis for what felt like 30 minutes.
Declaration of O. (possesses Employment Authorization Document; pending asylum and Special Immigration Juvenile Status application) — Doc. 67 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 02/03/2026:
On Saturday, January 10, 2026, I went to work and then got lunch with my father and my cousin. …On the way back, a car passed me quickly, sped up, and stopped in the middle of the street in front of us. .. A few men got out of the car in front of us and ran towards us. They demanded our IDs. The men weren’t wearing any kind of uniforms; they just had on civilian clothes… They told me I was under arrest but didn’t say why. They handcuffed me. …I felt like I was being kidnapped.
Declaration of G.G. (under an Order of Supervision) — Doc. 88-8 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/22/2026:
ICE agents pounded on the door while my family slept inside (including my wife, my ten year old daughter, my young niece, and an additional relative)… Some agents sprayed pepper spray at my neighbors who had gathered around my residence blowing whistles and banging drums. Others came onto my porch, and smashed open the door with a battering ram… Multiple agents holding rifles stood in the doorway as my wife asserted her rights and repeatedly told law enforcement there were children inside. One agent repeatedly claimed “we’re getting the papers” in response to her demand to see the warrant. But without showing a warrant, and apparently without having one, five to six agents moved in as if they were entering a war zone.
〉 Stage 2: Transported to Whipple
After arrest, individuals were often placed in unmarked vehicles, handcuffed and driven to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
Declaration of B.S. (U.S. citizen) — Doc. 89-1 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/21/2026:
They put me in one of the vehicles and drove me to the Whipple Building. It made me think about the Latin American dictatorships we studied in college to be put in an unmarked car like that with masked agents. It all felt so surreal — I even made small talk with them. They didn’t buckle me in and said they couldn’t loosen my cuffs until we got to where we were going.
Declaration of R.E. (U.S. citizen) — Doc. 88-1 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/22/2026:
I was put in an unmarked white passenger van and driven to the Whipple Building. I repeatedly told the ICE agents, I am a U.S. Citizen and you are illegally detaining a U.S. Citizen.’ During the transport, I heard an ICE agent defend their actions with a statement that, ‘Listen, Trump is the boss and we’re just doing our jobs.’ Also during the ride, one ICE agent observed a bald eagle flying near the entrance to 494 southbound. Referring to the eagle, one of the ICE agents remarked ‘You know what that means? God is on our side.’
〉 Stage 3: Detained at Whipple Federal Building
The Whipple Building at Fort Snelling is allegedly highly overcrowded, lacks adequate bedspace, hygiene (including overflowing toilet water), and food. Historically used for processing under 12 hours, it became a de facto detention facility where people were held for days.
Declaration of J.J.B. (Venezuelan immigrant with refugee status) — Doc. 27 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026.
ICE took me to a room that I estimate could not hold more than 20 people. Over the next two hours, the room filled up with about 100 people. The conditions in the room were inhumane. The room had a dirty toilet and there was no door for privacy. The excrement was overflowing. There was no toilet paper so I had to ask the officers for it, but sometimes they refused to give it to me and often they would just ignore my requests. ICE cuffed my feet, and I had to go to the bathroom with the handcuffs still on. My ankles hurt because the cuffs were meant for wrists and were too small for my feet. … There were no beds or blankets. … People had to sleep in handcuffs and standing up because there was not enough room. … ICE beat people and denigrated them.
Declaration of O. (possesses Employment Authorization Document; pending asylum and Special Immigration Juvenile Status application) — Doc. 67 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 02/03/2026:
The cell was small but was already holding about forty people. We were there close to 20 hours in that cell. It was really hot and dirty. There was food scattered on the floor, the floor was sticky with mud. There were two benches that fit four to five people. The rest of us had to stand or sit on the floor that was covered with garbage. There was one toilet, but there was no privacy. There were people around watching you. I worried about viruses and bacteria since there were so many of us in the cramped space. I was so tired. We were only given food two times in that almost 20 hours. … I tried to sleep but there was no space to sit down. … ICE moved me to another cell also packed with people. There were even more people in this cell. Everyone was standing, you couldn’t even sit down.
Declaration of B.S. (U.S. citizen) — Doc. 89-1 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/21/2026:
When we got to the Whipple, I saw people — only black and brown people — lined up in a garage for processing. … He took me to the bathroom, which was filthy. As I went past different cells, I saw a lot of really sad people. There was no room for people to lie down. People were screaming, crying, wailing. … . This doesn’t feel like law enforcement. It feels like terror.
Declaration of G.G. (Liberian immigrant under DHS Order of Supervision) — Doc. 88-8 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/22/2026:
Once there, agents posed with their personal cell phones taking selfies standing on either side of me with their thumbs up. I observed them take similar photos with other detainees. This, to me, seemed designed to humiliate the detainees and create ‘trophy’ photos.
Declaration of Mubashir Khalif Hussen (U.S. citizen, named plaintiff) — Hussen v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00324 Dec. 10, 2025:
They took me inside the building, took off the handcuffs, and put shackles on my ankles before searching me. I asked for water, and they said no. Although I asked for medical assistance, they did not provide it even though they had told me there would be medical assistance there. Then, an employee told me I was getting deported… Prior to finally agreeing to review my passport card, at no time did anyone at Fort Snelling ask me whether I was a citizen or if I had any immigration status.
〉 Stage 4: Chained and Flown to Texas
Within hours — sometimes before processing was complete — detainees were handcuffed, shackled, loaded onto buses, driven to the airport, and flown to El Paso, Texas. Planes carried 80-120 detainees at a time. Attorneys and families were not notified. Some transfers violated active court orders; detainees include individuals with legal status and not subject to removal orders.
Court Order – X.D.B. v. Noem, Civil No. 26-588, filed 01/28/2026:
ICE is working to quickly transport detainees out of Minnesota, creating significant hardship on their families and counsel. In many cases, the ICE detainee locator system contains only “Call ICE For Details,” not a specific location. These practices are deeply concerning and generally suggest that ICE is attempting to hide the location of detainees, and thus, make habeas proceedings more difficult for a petitioner and their counsel.
Declaration of Kira Kelley (attorney) — Doc. 29 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
To the best of my knowledge, every single one of my clients who were detained after January 10, 2026, have been sent from the Whipple to a facility out of state, typically the ERO El Paso Camp East Montana facility in El Paso, Texas. … Most are sent out of state, typically to El Paso, Texas, within a day or even a few hours of being detained at Whipple.
An ERO agent named “Chuck” … said that some detained noncitizens were put on a flight before they had finished being processed into the ICE/ERO system, and weren’t fully booked until they were in Texas, and that detainees can be on a plane to Texas within a matter of hours but that flying people back to Minnesota following court orders takes much longer.
Court Memorandum Opinion — Jara Llangari v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00962 (D. Minn.) (involving resident of Minneapolis with pending asylum application) Filed 02/06/2026:
Petitioner was initially brought to the Bishop Henry Whipple building, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, before being sent to the El Paso Camp East Montana in Texas.
…
Government-controlled transfers,’ like the one in this case—‘often executed within hours of detention and before communication with counsel is possible’—have been a defining characteristic of Respondents’ coordinated Operation Metro Surge program in Minnesota. .. Respondents’ practice of transferring detainees to various states, without notice or apparent justification, has made it practically impossible to promptly file a habeas petition in the District where the individual is presently located.
Declaration of Antony Doe – Hussen v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00324 Doc. 93-1, Field 02/02/2026:
I told him that I have a valid work permit, and a U Visa in progress. They told me that wasn’t legal status to stay in the United States
…
The following day, they tied a group of us with a chain, connecting our waists to our feet. They took us to an airport and loaded us onto a plane. The person on the plane told us we were flying to El Paso, Texas.
Declaration of J.I.B.C. (applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum) — Doc. 26 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
About an hour later on the same day, agents removed approximately me and about 70 to 80 other people from the cells and placed us on large buses. We were driven for about 15 minutes to the airport. We waited at the airport for about one hour before being flown to El Paso, Texas. … … From the moment I left Minnesota, I was placed in handcuffs on my wrists and ankles, with chains around my waist. I remained restrained this way on the buses and during the flight. I was extremely confused, stressed, and desperate.
Declaration of G.G. (Liberian immigrant under a DHS Order of Supervision) — Doc. 88-8 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/22/2026:
At 10:27am, a judge ordered I not be removed from Minnesota away from my family and attorney. But later that day, around 12:30 or so, I was placed on an airplane shackled and flown to El Paso, Texas. It was only after my attorney confronted DHS that they acknowledged the ‘error’ and flew me back to Minnesota on January 13, 2026.
Declaration of O. (possesses Employment Authorization Document; pending asylum and Special Immigration Juvenile Status application) — Doc. 67 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 02/03/2026:
Around 11 am on January 11, an officer gathered everyone in the cell, chained our hands and feet, and we were put in trucks. … ICE took us to the airport. … There were around 120 detainees on the plane. I remained in chains the whole plane ride. I was very hungry. No food or water were offered for a while. … I had to eat with handcuffs on.
Court Order — Guled v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00301 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/16/2026 (Somali refugee with pending legal permanent resident application):
Respondents moved Petitioner to Texas despite this Court’s express prohibition against moving him out of the District of Minnesota.
Court Order — Colesnic v. Lyons, No. 0:26-cv-00166 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/16/2026 (Moldovan man holds refugee status and admitted to the United States under § 207(c)(2); has work and employment authorization; not subject to removal proceedings):
At 11:32 a.m. on January 12, the undersigned judge ordered Respondents temporarily enjoined and restrained from moving Petitioner out of the District of Minnesota during the pendency of his Habeas Petition. On January 13, Petitioner informed his family by telephone that he had been moved to Houston, Texas on the afternoon of January 12. (Matsch Aff. ¶ 7.) The flight had taken place on January 12, after Petitioner’s counsel had served the Order to Show Cause on Respondents.
Court Order — Mendoza Escobar v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00437 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/24/2026 (Nicaraguan immigrant with pending application for legal permanent resident; has work permit):
They could have ‘inspected’ him by simply reviewing his application in a timely fashion and making an appointment, if necessary, rather than by uprooting him from his home, family, and job, subjecting him to days of detention, flying him to Texas in contravention of court order and at taxpayer expense, depriving him of access to legal counsel, and subjecting him to further trauma, all for the stated purpose of ‘inspection.’ The Constitution does not abide this conduct. … Respondents’ Constitutional violations, as well as their statutory violations, in detaining Petitioner support Petitioner’s immediate release.
Court Order — Lah v. Trump, No. 0:26-cv-00171 Filed 01/23/2026 (a breastfeeding Burmese mother with congenital heart disease admitted into U.S. as refugee with her family):
Ms. Lah is a legal refugee who took the proper steps on the first available date to apply for a status adjustment. It is through no fault of hers that there has been no movement on her application. There is simply no legal reason for keeping this mother 1800 miles away from her children.
…
There is something particularly craven about transferring a nursing refugee mother out-of-state.
〉Stage 5: Conditions of Detention in Texas
Detainees were held at facilities in Texas. They were allegedly pressured to sign self-deportation papers even when the court had ordered their release, pushed to cross over the Mexico border, denied phone access and counsel, and held in overcrowded cells with poor hygiene (including flooding with sewage water) and inadequate food. Allegations of beatings and sexual abuse are rampant.
Declaration of J.I.B.C. (applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum) — Doc. 26 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
We were kept outdoors in the cold before being placed in cells. I was detained there for one week. For much of that time, I was not given a blanket or bedding. … Agents repeatedly told me and other detainees that if we chose to fight our cases, we would remain detained longer. They pressured people to sign voluntary self-deportation papers. Many people signed.
Declaration of O. (possesses Employment Authorization Document; pending asylum and Special Immigration Juvenile Status application) — Doc. 67 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 02/03/2026:
I was told by the security official at the prison that the place I was brought to in Texas was supposed to be temporary. But I spent 10 days there. I met people who had been there for 15 days. I only had 1 change of clothes. I had to wear the same clothes for many days. There were about 72 of us in the cell. … There were 3-4 toilets. They weren’t completely private. … There were signs everywhere in the detention facility offering us $3000 each if we agreed to self-deport. But the officers said they did not have resources for detainees to make phone calls.
…
[An officer] told me that if I fought my case, I would spend two to three more months here in El Paso. She offered me $2600 to self-deport. I refused. I wanted to talk to my attorney. They didn’t tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota.
Diaz Morales v. Baker, 1:25-cv-04151 (D. Md.) (case of U.S. citizen): reportedly arrested by ICE in Maryland, transported to Louisiana, and ultimately detained in Texas for 25 days.
Conditions at Camp East Montana, Fort Bliss (El Paso, Texas): The following declarations are from immigrants detained at the ERO El Paso Camp East Montana facility at Fort Bliss — the same facility to which Minnesota detainees have been transferred. These sworn statements were submitted with the ACLU in December 2025, documenting physical and sexual abuse, coerced deportation, medical neglect, and squalid conditions.
Declaration of “Isaac” (43-year old immigrant from Cuba) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
Outside in the hallway, the guards started beating on me. The guards hit my head. They slammed it against the wall approximately ten times. Also They squeezed and twisted my ankles. The guards also [describing an alleged sexual assault]. … Agents then handcuffed me and approximately 20 other people, placed us on a bus, and drove us over an hour to the border. … One officer informed us that if we don’t want to go to Mexico, then we would either be sent to a jail cell in El Salvador or Africa.
Declaration of “Benjamin” (49-year old immigrant from Cuba; living in U.S. for 32 years; 15 year old U.S. citizen son) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso:
[O]ver the course of a week, guards called me out approximately four times to intimidate me into signing something like a voluntary deportation document. … They said they would handcuff us, put bags over our heads and send us to Mexico. I refused to sign the papers. Approximately all four of the times I was pulled out, the officers told me that if I don’t agree to go to Mexico, they will send me to Sudan in Africa, or to El Salvador, or to Guantanamo Bay. I told them I am not a Mexican citizen. I told them my whole family lives here. …
Approximately two weeks after I arrived at this facility, two border patrol officers who were women called me out and told me that a judge had submitted an order for me to be deported to Mexico. When I asked for the document of the order, they told me that they can’t show me the document. Regardless, they put us on a bus to take us to the border. … My wrists and feet were cuffed and chained to the front of my body with a restraint on my waist.
When we got to the border crossing, there was one bus on the U.S. side and one bus on the Mexico side. I was on the bus on the U.S. side. The bus on the Mexican side is for those who go to Mexico to go farther in. … Approximately seven masked men who looked like military men, but without badge numbers showed up … I was later brought back to the unit where they continued threatening me about taking me to another country. These threats feel like mental torture.
Declaration of “Abel” (51-year old immigrant from Cuba) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso:
[A] guard grabbed me and slammed me down and it hurt me so much that I had pain on my back for approximately two weeks. The guard beat me just because I was refusing to be cuffed and taken to Mexico. The guards also beat several other people.
…
Then, the guards took me on a bus with approximately thirteen people to a part of the border called St. Terasa, which is here in El Paso. My wrists and ankles were cuffed. They put a sort of iron belt around my waist and attached my cuffed wrists to it.
…
There were other people there who were wearing black masks on their faces with only a hole for their eyes. They told us to walk toward the Mexican bus. There was a bus to Mexico on one side and the bus back to the U.S. on the other. I started feeling very anxious at this point and I started yelling and screaming at the immigration guard in Mexico that this is a kidnapping and I don’t want to be taken. … Out of the thirteen people who came with me on the bus, only four people returned with me.
Declaration of “Eduardo” (35-year old immigrant from Cuba; three U.S. citizen children) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
The toilets are filled with urine and fecal matter. The walls and the floor around the toilets have fecal matter on them. Water from that area and from the shower area collects and that same dirty water leaks over to the area where we have meals.
…
I would not even feed the food we are given to the dog at my house. The food is frozen. When it defrosts, it becomes very liquidy. The food makes me feel sick almost every day. My stomach hurts. I often have diarrhea and sometimes vomit. Others in my unit also seem to be suffering with diarrhea and vomiting from the food.
…
About six or seven guards started beating on me. They beat me on my ribs and my abdomen and the back of my head. There is still a large mark on my abdomen from it. I was cuffed and the guards started stomping on me until I lost consciousness. I believe I was taken to the hospital then. … When I was released on Sunday, I kept asking for my medication. The guards said ‘no,’ and when l kept asking them for it, about ten to twelve guards beat me again while l was cuffed. They threw me to the ground and my clothes were torn off me. I was left bruised and bloody. …[T]hey tried to remove me from the United States to Mexico.
…
When the guards took us out of the truck, they replaced the metal cuffs with plastic ones and then told us to jump over into Mexico. They told me they were going to charge me with federal crimes and I would never get out of this detention center if l did not jump. The masked people sometimes beat on people to get them to jump the wall even if they don’t want to. I have seen other people get beaten up and forced to jump. But I did not jump.
Declaration of “Noah” (32-year old immigrant from Venezuela) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
Those guards started cuffing us and threw us against the floor. My arms and legs hurt when I was thrown to the ground while cuffed with my hands behind my back. Even though I was not resisting, I got very hurt by the guards. Guards put their knees behind my neck and pressed down on my neck. … During that same incident, I saw a guard beat and punch someone I am detained with in the face. That person was bleeding profusely from his face. Guards took that person away and after that I never saw him again.
Declaration of “German” (33-year old immigrant from Cuba) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
Since l have been detained at Fort Bliss. I have rarely had outside recreation. I have not seen the sun for approximately one month. Officials have only been taking us out at night. Usually over fifteen days pass before we are taken outside at all. We have a calendar that says that we arc supposed to be taken outside routinely, but the guards do not pay attention to it.
…
Right now, no one seems to have any hygiene products like toothpaste, soap, or shampoo. Even when shampoo is handed out, we are given only 15-20 one-time use packets for all of the approximately 72 people in the unit. This leads to people fighting for access to basic necessities.
…
There is not enough food for everyone and the meal times are irregular. The food is very bad. It is some sort of unpleasant stew that does not seem to be in edible condition. We sometimes throw the food away because of this.
Declaration of “David” (35-year old immigrant from Mexico) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
The shower drains do not work and constantly cause flooding. The flood water is dirty, filled with urine and fecal matter. The guards are aware of this, and we have repeatedly requested that they fix the flooding problem. … While detained here, I have had health complications. I require medication for my gastritis. However, I barely received this medication two weeks ago despite requesting it every day since my arrival. … We receive very little shampoo which we use to wash our hair, bodies and even our underwear. We do not get soap at all.
…
The food we receive is not fit for human consumption.
Declaration of “Elizabeth” (44-year old immigrant from Cuba; valid work permit and pending asylum application) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
We are not given enough toilet paper. We receive one roll per day for 72 people. When it runs out, we are told to wait until the next day for more.
…
I have not had any outside recreation since arriving at Fort Bliss. I have not seen the sun in more than three months.
…
It is difficult to stay clean at Camp East Montana. We do not receive enough hygiene products.
Declaration of “Xavier” (32-year old immigrant from Venezuela) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
This place does not seem designed for humans to be here.
…
We are not regularly given hygiene products like soap or taken outside to the yard. This feels like a violation of my rights as a human.
…
The food we are provided with devastates me because it is so bad.
Declaration of “Vincente” (25 year-old immigrant from Mexico) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
The guards have told me that they will not call the doctor unless someone collapses. I have witnessed numerous medical emergencies go unaddressed. A man with heart problems told guards he felt very sick. The guard reported it to supervisors, but no help arrived until the next day. Another young man has fainted multiple times. He asks for medical assistance before fainting, but he is only treated after he collapses.
…
Maintaining hygiene is extremely difficult. There has been no soap available for over a month.
Declaration of “Hernan” (27 year-old immigrant from Guatemala) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
The biggest problems here are the bathrooms leaking contaminated water into the dormitory, the lack of medical care, and the food.
Contaminated water has overflowed from the bathrooms to the dormitory. The overflowing water contained excrements and urine and we had to eat and live in that room with the contaminated water. Detained individuals in the “A” Tent told me that this happened in their tent and the rest of the tents too.
We don’t have soap.
…
Many people here, including myself, have suffered diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pains because of the food and don’t receive medical attention.
…
The food is a big problem here. The food isn’t enough to fill you and it tastes horrible. We have to eat it regardless because we’re hungry. We’re always hungry here.
…
I’ve lost weight because of the food. I know this because my clothes used to fit me and now they are loose.
Declaration of “Samuel” (19-year old immigrant from Venezuela) — ACLU Fort Bliss Declarations, Camp East Montana, El Paso, TX:
“We do not have soap to wash our hands or bodies.
The food is horrible and causes me to have diarrhea, gas, and acid reflux. For that reason,
I usually just eat one meal a day.
…
On or around October 17, 2025, I turned off a light on the way to the yard. That is what triggered an altercation with an officer who spoke Spanish. … Then the rest of the officers started piling onto me and using their bodies to block the security camera. … Then, the officers body-slammed me and started to beat me. My front right tooth broke from the force of being slammed to the ground.
…
One of the officers [describing alleged sexual assault]. An officer forced his fingers deep into my ears. Since then, I have had a lot of trouble hearing out of my left ear.
…
I was in so much pain and I still have marks from the incident on my body.
Conditions at the ICE South Texas Family Detention Center (Dilley, Texas): The following declarations are court filings from lawyers, as well as detained parents with their children at the South Texas Family Detention Center in Dilley, Texas. These sworn statements were filed in Flores v. Bondi, Case No. CV 85-4544-DMG-AGR (C.D. Cal.), on Dec. 8, 2025, documenting worms and mold in food, lights kept on 24 hours a day, harsh soap as the only hygiene product, and inadequate medical care. Some families have been detained there for nearly six months.
This is the facility to which 5 year-old Minnesotan Liam Conejo Ramo was sent; and is also now the subject of a lawsuit for an 18 month-old hospitalized with respiratory failure after allegedly being denied medication.
Declaration of Leecia Welch (Deputy Litigation Director, Children’s Rights) — Flores v. Bondi, Doc. 1706-3 (C.D. Cal.) Dec. 8, 2025:
In recent weeks, conditions of confinement and treatment of families appear to have worsened with families reporting horrific concerns, such as denial of critical medical care, worms and mold in the food that result in children becoming ill, and threats of family separation by officers and staff. Families report that their children are weak, faint, pale, and often crying because they are so hungry.
…
Medical staff told one family whose child got food poisoning to only return if the child vomited eight times.
…
Parents consistently report concerning behaviors and regression in their children’s development, including children hitting themselves in the face, becoming aggressive, and frequently wetting themselves after years of being potty-trained.
Declaration of Javier O. Hidalgo (Legal Director, RAICES) — Flores v. Bondi, Doc. 1706-2 (C.D. Cal.) Dec. 8, 2025:
Our clients often report that the food provided at Dilley is not adequate nor appropriate for children, leading to tender-age class members’ physical deterioration and loss of weight. Families also report conditions that are harmful to class member children such as the lights being on in children’s sleeping areas for 24 hours and inadequate clothing–as just some examples.
…
Moreover, ICE-ERO maintains a campaign of constantly urging families to give up their pursuit of protection and return home for some promised amount of money and implying that if they do not “voluntarily” return they risk family separation. … Indeed, we have observed several families separated while detained at Dilley.
Declaration of “A.K.” (detained mother, 22 years old, held at Dilley with her nearly 2-year-old son) — Flores v. Bondi, Doc. 1706-9 (C.D. Cal.) Dec. 8, 2025:
Every day I am crying because there is not food for our son to eat. Each day there is just chicken and rice. I am so sad all the time that there is not baby food here. And just last week, I was given broccoli and cauliflower that were moldy and had worms.
…
My child never used to bother anyone, and now he has started to hit me and his father. We are seeing him also start hitting himself in the face.
…
He is shocked by the new toys that the Flores lawyers bring here. He only has three toys, and if any staff see that we have them they will take them away. He is almost two – he needs toys to play with. We have to hide them all.
…
The lights are on all night here. My son cries all night almost every night because it is so hard for him to sleep with the lights on. This has been going on for two months straight. I tried to hang a towel up to hide the light from my son, but the supervisors immediately tore it down and threw it away. They said I couldn’t do that.
Declaration of “N.G.” (detained parent) — Flores v. Bondi, Doc. 1706-16 (C.D. Cal.) Dec. 8, 2025:
We are scared to ask for anything, because the officers start threatening us that they’ll put us in different detention centers and put our children in foster care.We were given wormy food and when someone spoke out about it… he was taken in the middle of the night and threatened that he and his family would be separated.
…
Some people asked for a psychologist and were told that they could be given pills to sedate their children which would make them like vegetables.
Exit A: Stranded or Released into Bitter Cold
After courts ordered release, detainees were transported – in handcuffs, and chains around their waists – to Minnesota oftentimes to be released in the dead of winter. Some were released at the Whipple Building at night without phones, coats, or any way to contact family. Others were left on the streets of Texas to find their own way back.
The average temperature in Minneapolis over January and the first week of February 2026 was highs of 22–25°F and lows of 4–10°F, with wind chills regularly below −10°F. Multiple federal judges had to include special protective language in their orders about the danger of releasing people into extreme cold.
Court Order — U.H.A. v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00417 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/28/2026 (class action for plaintiffs with refugee status):
After being taken to a detention center in Minnesota, he was immediately flown to Texas, where he was interrogated about his refugee status. He was kept in “shackles and handcuffs” for 16 hours. D. Doe was ultimately released on the streets of Texas, left to find his way back to Minnesota.
Declaration of Mubashir Khalif Hussen (U.S. citizen, named plaintiff) — Hussen v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00324 Dec. 10, 2025:
I did not have an opportunity to communicate with my family about anything that had gone on, and I was now over seven miles from where the ICE officers had arrested me. I asked if someone would give me a ride back to where the officers had arrested me. The officer and the other worker refused and told me to walk home. They instructed me to leave the building and followed me, and a few other people who were also being told to leave, as we exited the building. The temperature was less than 28 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
Court Memorandum Opinion — Jara Llangari v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00962 (D. Minn.) (resident of Minneapolis with pending asylum application who had been transferred to Texas) Filed 02/06/2026:
The Court will grant Joffre A.J.L.’s petition for writ of habeas corpus and will order that he be returned to Minnesota and released from custody.
…
Given the severe weather conditions in Minnesota, Respondents are ORDERED to coordinate with Petitioner’s counsel to ensure that upon Petitioner’s release, they are not left outside in dangerous cold. It is preferable to release Petitioner to counsel to ensure humane treatment.
Court Order — N.M. v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00799 (D. Minn.); identical language in Jara Llangari v. Bondi; Hernandez Ledezma v. Noem and A.H.L. v. Noem. Filed 02/01–02/06/2026:
Given the severe weather conditions in Minnesota, Respondents are ORDERED to coordinate with Petitioner’s counsel to ensure that upon Petitioner’s release, they are not left outside in dangerous cold. It is preferable to release Petitioner to counsel to ensure humane treatment.
Declaration of J.I.B.C. (applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum19-year-old, Ecuador) — Doc. 26 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
We waited on the bus outside the airport for approximately two hours while handcuffed, anklecuffed, and chained around our waists. When we arrived in Minnesota, I was placed on a bus and returned to the same detention center where I had initially been held, Whipple. I remained handcuffed the entire time. Once there, they removed the cuffs from my hands and waist, but not immediately from my feet . … I felt like I had been kidnapped. … Since my release, I have experienced severe stress and trauma. I have not left my house.
Declaration of John Chitwood (attorney, describing release of a U.S. citizen client) — Doc. 23 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
He was then unceremoniously released out of the front door of the Whipple building into the January cold wearing only his sweatshirt and without his cell phone or any way to contact his wife.
Declaration of B.S. (U.S. citizen) — Doc. 89-1 in State of Minnesota v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00190 Filed 01/21/2026:
Finally, they decided to let me out. Agents brought me out through the building and walked me to where the protest was happening. They wouldn’t let me use a phone, and it was nighttime. My phone had been knocked out of my hand when they broke the windows and arrested us, so I didn’t know what exactly to do.
Exit B: Indefinite Detention / Deportation
For those not released by court order, the pipeline can lead to indefinite detention across multiple facilities or to deportation — often under allegedly coerced “voluntary” self-deportation agreements signed without access to counsel or compelled to physically cross the Mexican border (see also Stage 5 Declarations). Those who refused were allegedly told they could be held indefinitely or deported to other countries.
Court Order – A.H.L. v. Noem, 0:26-cv-00860-JRT-EMB, Filed 02/06/2026 (Venezuelan immigrant granted Temporary Protected States; termination pending litigation):
Petitioner ‘was initially sent’ to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, before ‘he was then moved to a facility in San Antonio, Texas, before being transferred to the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas, where he is currently detained.’ Petitioner states in his petition that ‘it is currently unknown whether ICE intends to keep him at Hutto or move him to a different facility in Texas or to a different state.’
Declaration of J.I.B.C. (applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile status and asylum19-year-old, Ecuador) — Doc. 26 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
Agents repeatedly told me and other detainees that if we chose to fight our cases, we would remain detained longer. They pressured people to sign voluntary self-deportation papers. Many people signed.
Court Order — U.H.A. v. Bondi, No. 0:26-cv-00417 (D. Minn.) Filed 01/28/2026:
After being taken to a detention center in Minnesota, he was immediately flown to Texas…
…
Defendants have also hurriedly transported detained refugees (alongside many other individuals detained by federal officials in Minnesota in recent months) to distant states, often without the ability to communicate with counsel, family, or the community.
[Authors’ note: According to news reports, “lawyers have filed a flurry of successful court challenges compelling the government to release their clients, but that has left an increasing number of Minnesotans stranded outside detention facilities far from home. In some cases, ICE has refused to return identification cards or work permits to those released from detention, attorneys say.”
Declaration of Kira Kelley (attorney) — Doc. 29 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
Once a noncitizen is placed into ICE detention, they are moved frequently and without any advanced notice, and often with no way for me or their loved ones to know where they are or how long they will remain in any location. My clients, their families, and I experience directly the black hole of communication that happens once someone is taken into immigration custody.
Exit C: Returned to Minnesota in Chains
After courts ordered release, others were transported by plane, in handcuffs and chains, back to Minnesota for release.
Declaration of Antony Doe (Honduran immigrant with valid work permit, and a pending application for a U visa)- Hussen v. Noem, No. 0:26-cv-00324 Doc. 93-1, Field 02/02/2026:
I told him that I have a valid work permit, and a U Visa in progress. They told me that wasn’t legal status to stay in the United States…
They tied us up again with a chain, and took us back to the airport. They loaded us up on the plane. No one on the plane told us where we were going, and they didn’t let us open the window shades on the plane, either. 18. We arrived back in Minnesota.
Declaration of Kira Kelley (attorney) — Doc. 29 in Advocates for Human Rights v. DHS, No. 0:26-cv-00749 Filed 01/28/2026:
“[S]he told me that ICE agents had been pressuring her to self-deport while I had been working to get the judge’s order effectuated. … On the plane back to Minnesota, she was accompanied by only two other detainees, also handcuffed, and every other seat was taken by an ICE officer being newly deployed in Minnesota.
