A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has uncovered severe violations at Camp East Montana, one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country, located on the grounds of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
The facility, which opened in August 2025 and can hold up to 5,000 immigrants, has been plagued by mismanagement, including millions of dollars wasted on meals and operations billed at full capacity despite a far lower detainee population. The report also found that detainee health was endangered through excessive use of force, inadequate medical and mental health care, and the destruction or loss of evidence in a detainee death investigation.
At least three people have died while in custody at Camp East Montana, with one death ruled a homicide. The GAO report noted that the contractor, Acquisition Logistics LLC, failed to provide required use-of-force and death reports to ICE, and evidence related to the incident was missing or destroyed.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) replaced the contractor in March with Amentum Services, which had been a subcontractor at the facility. DHS has pledged upgrades and improvements, including more on-site medical care and increased oversight.
However, immigration-rights advocates and lawmakers, including Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas, are calling for the facility to be shut down and for the destruction of evidence to be referred to law enforcement. The report was requested by Senator Dick Durbin, who called it "damning" and emblematic of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.
DHS has stated that the facility is not closing but is undergoing upgrades.