EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Four migrants have a court date this week after concerns over water at an El Paso detention center and a desire to learn their case status escalated into alleged assaults against contract detention officers.

Luis Ramon Batista Romero, Jean Carlos Chavez Gutierrez, Luis Daniel Castillo Perozo, and Bruno Emilio Castillo Colmenarez are facing federal charges of assaulting, resisting, and impeding contract detention officers during the performance of their duties.

Federal court records show that the “series of separate but nearly simultaneous” confrontations occurred on February 5 at dormitory 8B of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s El Paso Service Processing Center.

The disturbances were caught on security video recordings reviewed by the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, whose investigators also talked to employees on duty at the facility at the time.

The review revealed detainees “demanded to speak to ICE personnel to ask about their detention status and the reason the water was not working,” according to a complaint affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Center staff reportedly addressed some of the questions and directed detainees to go to their beds; when they refused, an officer was called for assistance.

“Some detainees became belligerent, and some detainees began lifting their beds and slamming them on the floor,” the complaint alleges.

Court records show that one of the center’s contract detention officers—an employee of a private company contracted by ICE—approached Batista after noticing he wore an earring, which detainees are not allowed to wear. The guard offered to place the earring where the rest of Batista’s personal belongings were, but the detainee “began to walk away.”

According to court records, the contract detention officer attempted to restrain Batista. It was at that point the alleged assaults began. Batista allegedly turned around and tried to strike the guard; two additional guards came to assist their peer but “could not gain control of his arms and hands.”

Batista allegedly swung his fist and hit one of the guards in the temple and broke his glasses; the detainee and guards fell on a bunk bed and ended up on the floor, according to court records.

The contract detention officers tried to persuade Batista to follow them to the processing area away from the dormitory. Still, Batista allegedly grabbed onto bed rails, curled into a ball, and started kicking to prevent the guards from grabbing him.

As this was going on, detainee Chavez allegedly kicked one of the guards in the back. Several contract detention officers converged on Chavez, restrained him, and took him away from the dormitory, court records show.

Castillo Perozo approached the guards trying to restrain Batista and allegedly told them several times they “were not going to take him.”

A female contract detention officer placed herself before Castillo Perozo to prevent him from intervening. Still, he ran into her, fell on top of her, and pinned her arm on the floor until other guards restrained him and took him away, according to the complaint affidavit.

Castillo Colmenarez also allegedly walked to where contract detention officers were trying to restrict Batista. He had a closed fist and was restrained by guards but wiggled free and struck one of them in the face, the complaint alleges.

Guards surrounded Castillo Colmenarez, went to the ground with him, and struggled to restrain him as he allegedly clenched his hands together, swung his elbows, and tried to wiggle free.

According to the complaint, the detainee eventually complied and was taken from the dormitory.

Records show the four detainees were formally arrested a day later and were ordered temporarily detained without bond. They all face a March 12 detention hearing before U.S.

Magistrate Judge Miguel A. Torres in federal court in El Paso.

After tempers subsided on February 5, the migrants provided statements to investigators. Batista allegedly said he “unintentionally” struck the contract detention officer, apologized, and regretted his decision. Castillo Perozo said he only wanted to “help his friend” Batista and to separate the guards from him.

Castillo Colmenarez allegedly said he resisted because he didn’t want to be handcuffed. Chavez allegedly said he didn’t realize he had kicked the contract detention officer in the back and that he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, court records show.