Problems at Camp East Montana Detention Facility
A government watchdog identified significant issues with the Trump administration’s handling of immigrant detainees at the Fort Bliss Army base in Texas. Investigations revealed millions of dollars wasted, unsanitary conditions, inadequate tuberculosis control measures, and a lost firearm.
From August 2025 to March 2026, Camp East Montana experienced critical incidents, including two detainee deaths. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated these cases. In January, one death was determined to be a homicide due to asphyxiation and is under criminal investigation. Another detainee committed suicide after being left unattended for periods longer than 15 minutes.
In January, a security guard lost a loaded firearm at the facility. As of March, the weapon had not been recovered.
The GAO reported inadequate healthcare services for detainees with chronic conditions such as HIV and diabetes. Camp East Montana, the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, can house 5,000 detainees.
The issues stemmed from a rushed construction and contracting process. The GAO highlighted that the quick awarding of the contract contributed to negative outcomes during facility operations.
These deficiencies led to wasted government resources and posed risks to detainees’ and staff’s health and safety.
The defense department announced Camp East Montana’s construction last summer, describing it as the largest federal detention center in history. The Army initially awarded a $1.2 billion contract to a contractor that lacked experience in providing detention services.
The GAO found the Army’s contract process lacked flexibility, resulting in unnecessary expenses when the facility wasn’t filled to capacity. From August 1 to August 15, 2025, when there were no detainees, the Army wasted $11.5 million on meals, transportation, guards, and medical services.
The GAO reported that the facility continued to incur costs for unneeded meals totaling $423,000 while operating below capacity through September 30, 2025. After ICE assumed the contract, it spent around $7.1 million on excess meals from October 1, 2025, to March 12, 2026.
The contract lacked a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, critical for assessing contractor performance. ICE contracting officials told the GAO that oversight faced significant challenges.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced ICE contracted a new provider to enhance Camp East Montana’s detention standards. The new contract would increase on-site medical care, personnel, and oversight capabilities.
Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading.
The GAO noted unsanitary conditions due to infrequent dormitory cleaning; it reported instances where security guards exchanged cookies with detainees for dormitory cleaning.
The GAO recommended ICE adopt flexible contracts, ensure standards for new facilities, and advised DHS and the Army to learn from past acquisitions. The Defense Department agreed to implement recommendations but disagreed with the GAO’s report, challenging its dependency on ICE’s information.
The GAO rebutted, stating that decisions by both DHS and the Army led to the severe problems at Camp East Montana.