Systemic abuse in US immigrant detention exposes climate-energy nexus, corporate profiteering, and carceral expansionism

The facility’s location on stolen Indigenous land (Tigua, Mescalero Apache, and other tribal territories) mirrors historical patterns of carceral expansion on Native soil, where prisons and militarized zones have long been tools of dispossession. Indigenous critiques of detention emphasize how the criminalization of migration replicates colonial logics of enclosure and resource extraction. The energy-intensive infrastructure of Camp East Montana further desecrates sacred desert ecosystems already threatened by climate change and extractive industries.

US immigration detention has roots in 19th-century Chinese Exclusion Act camps and WWII Japanese American internment, evolving into today’s privatized, for-profit model. The energy-intensive architecture of Camp East Montana reflects a broader trend of 'climate-proofing' carceral spaces, echoing Cold War-era fallout shelters repurposed for detention. Historical parallels include the use of psychological torture in Latin American dictatorships, where US-trained forces exported techniques later refined in domestic detention centers.

In Europe, detention centers like Greece’s Lesvos camp use similar energy-intensive systems, with asylum seekers reporting 'psychological torture' through prolonged uncertainty and sensory deprivation. African migrants describe US-style detention as a continuation of colonial border regimes, where mobility is policed through racialized violence. Across the Global South, carceral expansion is often justified as 'development,' masking how detention infrastructure serves extractive economies and neocolonial control.

Studies show prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) in detention causes measurable cognitive decline, PTSD, and immune dysfunction, aligning with detainees’ reports of 'psychological torture.' The facility’s energy use—equivalent to a small city—contributes to local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, compounding climate harms. Research on privatized detention reveals higher rates of abuse, medical neglect, and recidivism compared to public facilities, supporting calls for decarceration.

Artists like Dread Scott’s 'Slave Rebellion Reenactment' and For Freedoms’ 'Refugee Flag' project frame detention as a continuation of chattel slavery’s carceral logics, where the body is commodified. Indigenous artists such as Jaune Quick-to-See Smith depict detention centers as manifestations of settler-colonial violence, linking environmental destruction to human displacement. Spiritual traditions across faiths condemn detention as a violation of sacred hospitality, with Jewish *hachnasat orchim* and Islamic *diyafa* mandating care for the stranger.

Climate projections suggest desert detention centers will face increasing energy costs and water scarcity, exacerbating conditions of abuse unless systems are redesigned. Scenario modeling indicates that decarceration paired with renewable energy retrofits could reduce both human rights violations and carbon footprints. Alternative models, such as community-based case management programs in Canada and Portugal, show 80%+ success rates in asylum processing without detention.

LGBTQ+ detainees face disproportionate violence, including sexual assault and solitary confinement, yet their testimonies are often excluded from mainstream narratives. Venezuelan asylum seekers’ reports of medical neglect and forced labor align with patterns documented in reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Indigenous detainees describe how their cultural practices (e.g., language, prayer) are criminalized within the facility, compounding trauma.