Camp East Montana ICE detention facility mismanagement wastes $1.3 B and leads to detainee deaths

A Government Accountability Office report found serious mismanagement at Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest ICE tent detention site in El Paso, Texas. The facility opened before construction was finished, lacked required health and safety oversight, and failed to meet ICE detention standards. Within six months three detainees died, including a 55‑year‑old Cuban migrant whose death evidence was reportedly missing or destroyed.

The report cites multiple operational failures: a security guard lost a loaded firearm that was never recovered, a TB‑positive detainee was placed with the general population, and an inmate escaped in October due to contractor oversight lapses. The contract, awarded to the inexperienced firm Acquisition Logistics for $1.3 billion, resulted in millions of dollars wasted on unnecessary meals, guards and medical services. The Department of Homeland Security has since replaced the contractor and pledged improved on‑site medical care.

Senator Dick Durbin called the findings “damning,” urging accountability for a system he said “shocks the conscience.” The GAO’s investigation, requested by Democratic leaders, highlights systemic deficiencies in the U.S. immigration detention program and raises questions about the use of taxpayer funds for mass‑detention projects.