ICE extends lease on Texas detention center after three deaths
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it will keep the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso, Texas open for at least another year, extending the lease and adding an estimated $776 million in taxpayer costs. The center, which opened on August 1, 2025, has held roughly 1,600 non‑citizen detainees as of February 2026. Since its opening, three detainees have died, and a joint report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union documented guard assaults, medical neglect, overcrowding and a lack of transparency.
Democratic members of Congress, including Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, have repeatedly called for the camp’s closure, citing substandard food, inadequate medical care and safety risks. A June 2026 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the facility failed to meet key detention standards, endangering both detainees and staff. ICE responded that it does not tolerate abuse and that no detainees are being beaten, while defending the center as part of its broader border‑security strategy.
Entities: Camp East Montana · El Paso, Texas · Human Rights Watch · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · Veronica Escobar
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] ICE announced a lease extension for Camp East Montana for at least one more year. (All articles)
- [DISPUTED] Human Rights Watch and the ACLU reported guard assaults, medical neglect, overcrowding and lack of transparency at the center. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar called the facility’s conditions substandard and urged its closure. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Three detainees have died at Camp East Montana since it opened on August 1, 2025. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The facility held about 1,600 detained non‑citizens at the end of February 2026. (All articles)
- [DISPUTED] ICE stated that no detainees are being beaten or abused. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] A June 2026 GAO report said the facility failed to meet key detention standards, risking safety and security. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The lease extension will cost taxpayers an additional $776 million. (All articles)