EL PASO, TEXAS — The Government Accountability Office released a report on Tuesday detailing management issues at Camp East Montana, a tent facility located at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The report documented three detainee deaths within approximately six months at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, alongside systemic mismanagement.
ICE opened the camp in August before construction was finished and without the inspections required by ICE policy. The contract to build and operate the facility was routed through the Army after ICE twice failed to award it. The Army selected Acquisition Logistics for a contract valued at up to $1.3 billion, despite the company having no prior experience operating detention facilities.
Between August 1 and August 15, 2025, the Army spent up to $11.5 million on guards, medical services, transportation, and meals while the facility housed zero detainees. After ICE assumed contract administration, the facility paid approximately $7.1 million for meals between October 1, 2025, and March 12, 2026, while operating below maximum capacity. Acquisition Logistics' contract with ICE was terminated in mid-March.
A 55-year-old Cuban migrant died in January after being restrained by guards, and an outside autopsy ruled the death a homicide caused by asphyxia. Evidence related to this death was missing or destroyed. Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, also died by suicide in January. Staff placed Diaz in a medical holding room instead of a suicide-resistant cell and left him unattended for intervals longer than 15 minutes.
The facility contractor used a questionnaire instead of administering skin tests to screen detainees for tuberculosis. A detainee with tuberculosis was housed with the general population in November, leading to an outbreak. ICE Health Services Corps found that detainees with chronic conditions like diabetes and HIV lacked required treatment plans. Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "We now know even more details of how dangerous and irresponsible the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign truly is." He added, "Those detained are experiencing conditions that shock the conscience."
The facility lacked perimeter security cameras and contained surveillance blind spots. A security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility in January, and searches conducted through March did not recover it. A detainee escaped from the facility in October due to a contractor oversight failure. The facility could not accommodate wheelchair users and lacked showers compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulting in disabled detainees being placed in medical care rooms.
ICE has replaced the contractor operating Camp East Montana. Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said, "This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards with the ability to provide more medical care on-site."