ICE Detention Deaths Hit Record Pace as Camp East Montana, Already Cited for 49 Violations, Records Three Detainee Deaths Since October
Since October, 25 people have died in ICE detention nationwide, with three of those deaths occurring at Camp East Montana — a nearly 3,000‑bed facility on Fort Bliss that was initially run by Acquisition Logistics under a large federal contract and has since been taken over by Amentum. A February three‑day inspection by ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight documented 49 deficiencies — far more than any other facility this year — citing problems with use of force, restraints, security and medical care, while former detainees and an ACLU letter allege coercion and abuse; one January death was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner and another is officially classified as a suicide but disputed by family.
📌 Key Facts
- A congressionally mandated, three-day inspection of Camp East Montana by ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight in February 2026 documented 49 deficiencies — far higher than any other facility inspected this year (previous high: 13) — spanning use of force and restraints, security, medical care and other areas.
- Camp East Montana, the largest ICE detention center in the U.S. located on Fort Bliss, has been housing nearly 3,000 detainees per day (the majority men without criminal convictions) and has had at least three detainee deaths; nationwide, 25 people have died in ICE detention since October, with three deaths at this facility.
- Two January deaths at the facility are contested: DHS initially described Cuban detainee Geraldo Luna Campos’s death as following 'medical distress' after segregation, but an El Paso County autopsy ruled his death a homicide from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression (no one has been charged); Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz’s Jan. 14 death is officially classified by DHS as a suicide, but his family disputes that account and the Army’s medical examiner performed the autopsy, raising transparency questions.
- The facility was initially run by Acquisition Logistics LLC — a contractor with no prior detention experience that received a contract worth up to $1.3 billion — and ICE has since replaced it with Amentum Services under a nearly $453 million no‑bid contract through Sept. 30.
- Former detainees and a December ACLU letter based on interviews with more than 45 detainees allege coercion, use of physical force, threats tied to third‑country deportations, and severely poor conditions — including extreme overcrowding (reports of 72‑person cells), foul odors, small food portions, and widespread mental‑health crises.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar, who has toured the facility multiple times, says the inspection findings are 'a drop in the bucket' and alleges conditions have not improved and may be intended to pressure detainees to self‑deport; ICE says the new contract will improve medical care, staffing and oversight.
- Separately, DHS has paused purchases of new immigrant‑detention warehouses and is reviewing all contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem. The agency inherited a $38.3 billion plan to reach 92,000 detention beds through eight mega‑centers and 16 regional processing hubs; 11 warehouse sites have already been purchased across eight states at a combined cost of $1.074 billion, prompting lawsuits, local backlash and at least one planned capacity reduction (Surprise, Arizona).
📊 Relevant Data
In fiscal year 2025, the top nationalities of individuals deported by ICE were Mexican (71,000), Guatemalan (58,000), and Honduran (41,000), reflecting the primary origins of migrants in detention, including those from Guatemala and Nicaragua who faced deaths at Camp East Montana.
Black immigrants, who make up about 7% of the noncitizen population in the U.S., are detained by ICE at rates up to six times higher than their proportion and face longer detention periods, contributing to disparities in custody experiences including health risks.
ICE Detention and Racial Disparities — Black Pre-Law Society, Columbia University
Migration from Guatemala to the U.S. has increased due to agricultural stress, violence, and climate change impacts, with apprehensions of Guatemalans at the border rising by 25% from 2024 to 2025.
Increased Guatemalan migration to U.S. border linked to agricultural stress, violence and climate — Duke Center for International Development
El Paso County's population declined by 0.5% in 2025, driven by reduced immigration, declining birth rates, and outmigration, shifting from growth rates of 1% annually in the 2010s.
El Paso County population declines in 2025 as immigration drops, birth rates fall — El Paso Matters
Deaths in ICE custody rose to a rate of 5.9 per 10,000 detainees in 2025, up from lower rates in prior years, often linked to medical neglect and overcrowding in facilities.
Deaths in ICE Custody Are Growing. 'They Let Him Rot in There.' — The New York Times
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Since October, 25 people have died in ICE detention nationwide, with 3 deaths occurring at Camp East Montana, the largest ICE detention center in the U.S.
- The facility is located on Fort Bliss and was initially run by Acquisition Logistics, a company with no prior detention experience that nonetheless received a $1.3 billion federal contract.
- Former detainee Owen Ramsingh from the Netherlands describes conditions as ‘horrible,’ citing 72‑man cells, foul excrement odors, and small food portions; he says people suffered mental‑health crises due to long detentions.
- A December ACLU letter, based on interviews with more than 45 detainees at Camp East Montana, alleges coercion, physical force, and threats tied to third‑country deportations, in violation of ICE policies and statutory and constitutional protections.
- DHS initially described Cuban detainee Geraldo Luna Campos’s January death as following ‘medical distress’ and segregation after he was deemed disruptive in a medication line, but an El Paso County Medical Examiner autopsy ruled his death a homicide from ‘asphyxia due to neck and torso compression’; no one has been charged.
- Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz’s January 14 death is officially classified by DHS as a suicide, but his family disputes that account; their lawyer says the autopsy was performed by the Army’s medical examiner, reinforcing questions about transparency and cause-of-death determinations at the facility.
- ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight conducted a three‑day, congressionally mandated inspection of Camp East Montana in February 2026 and documented 49 deficiencies — violations of national detention standards and policies.
- The deficiencies span use of force and restraints, security, medical care and other areas that potentially exposed detainees to excessive force, disease, and unsafe conditions; 49 is far higher than any other facility inspected by the office this year (previous high: 13).
- Camp East Montana has been housing nearly 3,000 detainees per day, the majority men without criminal convictions, and has seen at least three deaths since it opened, including a 36‑year‑old detainee in January whose family attorney calls the report "scathing."
- The inspection was conducted while inexperienced contractor Acquisition Logistics LLC — holding a contract worth up to $1.3 billion despite no prior detention experience — was running the facility; ICE has since replaced it with Amentum Services under a nearly $453 million no‑bid contract through Sept. 30.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar, who has toured the facility multiple times, says the findings are "a drop in the bucket" and alleges conditions have not improved, suggesting harsh conditions may be designed to pressure detainees to self‑deport, while ICE claims the new contract will improve medical care, staffing and oversight.
- Confirms DHS has paused purchases of new immigrant‑detention warehouses and is scrutinizing all warehouse contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem.
- Details the inherited $38.3 billion plan to reach 92,000 detention beds through eight mega‑centers (7,000–10,000 beds each) and 16 regional processing hubs.
- Specifies that 11 warehouses have already been purchased in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah at a combined cost of $1.074 billion.
- Reports that lawsuits are pending in three of the warehouse states and that at least one facility, in Surprise, Arizona, has had its planned capacity cut from 1,500 to 542 occupied beds.
- Highlights that many local officials learned of ICE’s plans only after purchases or leases were executed, fueling bipartisan backlash over secrecy and local infrastructure strain.