Advocates and civil rights groups, such as the ACLU, argue that the detention expansion represents a dangerous militarization of immigration enforcement, reducing transparency and echoing past injustices like Japanese internment.

Concerns about oversight are compounded by past allegations of misconduct, including abuse of migrant children at the site, and ongoing investigations into construction safety and contract awarding, which have further fueled criticism.

While officials defend the facility, claiming it targets violent criminals and emphasizing security, data shows that about 70% of detainees as of August 2025 have no criminal convictions, raising questions about the justification for mass detention.

The detention conditions have raised alarms, with reports of makeshift tents, exposure to extreme heat, and inadequate facilities reminiscent of WWII internment camps, prompting concerns about detainee safety and human rights.

The Biden administration has opened a new immigration detention center at Fort Bliss in Texas, a site with a dark history as a former internment camp for Japanese, German, and Italian Americans during World War II.

This facility, which began operations in August 2025, is designed to hold up to 1,000 detainees initially, with plans to expand to 5,000, potentially making it the largest detention center in U.S. history.

Critics, including the Japanese American community and historians, strongly oppose the use of Fort Bliss for detention, citing disturbing parallels to its past role in Japanese internment, which affected over 125,000 Japanese Americans, many of whom were U.S. citizens.

Some politicians, including Texas Senator John Cornyn, have claimed that only single adults are detained at the site, but ongoing debates focus on the detention of families and children, with critics warning of the site’s potential to become a broader detention facility.

The facility, officially called Camp East Montana and nicknamed 'Lone Star Lockup,' has been compared to controversial detention centers like 'Alligator Alcatraz,' which have faced accusations of abuse and unconstitutional practices.

The use of military bases for detention has a controversial history, including the detention of unaccompanied children from 2016 to 2023, with allegations of sexual abuse and other misconduct, fueling ongoing outrage.

Critics, including the Japanese American National Museum and descendants of internment survivors, condemn the site, warning that it echoes past racial scapegoating and injustices, and caution against repeating history.

This development highlights ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement, with recent actions by border patrol and protests at cultural institutions underscoring the contentious nature of these policies.