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, including three at Camp East Montana — a nearly 3,000‑bed Fort Bliss facility whose February ICE Office of Detention Oversight inspection documented 49 deficiencies across use of force, restraints, medical care and security. Initially run by a contractor with no prior detention experience and now operated by Amentum, the camp has been accused by detainees and the ACLU of coercion and abuse, with one January death ruled a homicide by autopsy and other deaths disputed, while ICE says it is implementing remedial steps.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS has paused purchases of new immigrant‑detention warehouses and is reviewing all contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem, including an inherited $38.3 billion plan to reach 92,000 detention beds through eight mega‑centers and 16 regional processing hubs.
- Eleven warehouse sites have already been purchased across Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah at a combined cost of $1.074 billion; lawsuits are pending in three states and at least one facility (Surprise, Arizona) had planned capacity reduced from 1,500 to 542 occupied beds, while many local officials say they learned of ICE’s plans only after purchases or leases were executed.
- ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight conducted a three‑day, congressionally mandated inspection of Camp East Montana in February 2026 and documented 49 deficiencies — far higher than any other facility inspected this year — citing problems across use of force and restraints, security, medical care and other national‑detention‑standard areas.
- Camp East Montana, the largest ICE detention center, has been housing nearly 3,000 detainees per day (the majority men without criminal convictions); since October, 25 people have died in ICE detention nationwide and three of those deaths occurred at Camp East Montana.
- The facility was initially operated by Acquisition Logistics LLC — a contractor with no prior detention experience that held a contract worth up to $1.3 billion — and has since been transitioned to Amentum Services under a nearly $453 million no‑bid contract through Sept. 30; ICE says the new contract will improve medical care, staffing and oversight.
- Reporting, detainee interviews and a December ACLU letter (based on interviews with more than 45 detainees) describe severe crowding (including 72‑man cells), foul odors, small food portions, mental‑health crises, and allegations of coercion, physical force and threats tied to third‑country deportations.
- The ODO report and newsroom accounts provide examples of use‑of‑force incidents, restraint practices and medical‑care lapses underlying the 49 cited deficiencies; ICE and contractors have provided responses outlining remedial steps, while some lawmakers and visitors (including Rep. Veronica Escobar) say conditions remain harsh and may be used to pressure self‑deportation.
- Two deaths at the facility have provoked particular controversy: Cuban detainee Geraldo Luna Campos’s January death was initially described by DHS as following “medical distress,” but an El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled it a homicide from asphyxia due to neck and torso compression; Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz’s Jan. 14 death is classified by DHS as a suicide, which his family disputes and which was autopsied by the Army medical examiner — both cases have raised questions about transparency and cause‑of‑death determinations, and no criminal charges have been announced.
📊 Relevant Data
In ICE detention, Black immigrants, who comprise about 6% of the detained population, account for 28% of abuse-related complaints, indicating higher rates of mistreatment that could contribute to health risks and deaths.
ICE Detention and Racial Disparities — Black Pre-Law Society, Columbia University
From January 2025 to March 2026, 22 out of 46 deaths in ICE custody were among individuals from Mexico and Central America, who represent a significant portion of the detained population, with causes often linked to worsening existing medical conditions.
Deaths and Health Care Issues in ICE Detention Centers Under the Second Trump Administration — KFF
Economic factors are the primary driver for Cuban migration to the US, with all surveyed Cubans in Guatemala citing economic reasons for leaving Cuba in 2026 data.
Cubans Are Choosing to Stay in Latin America, New IOM Data Shows — ReliefWeb
Black immigrants are six times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement in ICE detention than other detained populations, a practice linked to increased mental health risks and potential suicides.
CERD: Anti-Black Discrimination within US Immigration, Detention, and Enforcement Systems — Human Rights First
In 2025, Mexican nationals accounted for 10 out of 31 deaths in ICE detention, reflecting their overrepresentation relative to other nationalities, with causes primarily medical or natural.
List of deaths in ICE detention — Wikipedia
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Provides additional narrative detail on the ICE Office of Detention Oversight’s February inspection of Camp East Montana, including examples of use‑of‑force incidents, restraint practices, and medical‑care lapses underlying the 49 cited deficiencies.
- Adds on‑the‑record comments from detainees, former staff, and/or facility operators about daily conditions inside Camp East Montana, giving more concrete descriptions of alleged coercion, abuse, and fear following the three deaths since October.
- Includes ICE and contractor responses to the ODO report, outlining what remedial steps they say they are taking (or disputing) regarding staffing, training, medical protocols, and oversight at the nearly 3,000‑bed facility.
- 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.