GAO Details Deaths, Waste And Mismanagement At ICE's Largest Camp East Montana Facility
A federal watchdog found waste, unsanitary conditions and management failures linked to multiple deaths at Camp East Montana, ICE's largest detention hub at Fort Bliss, Texas.[1]
The Government Accountability Office said rigid, firm-fixed-price contract terms and a hurried opening forced payments for full capacity even when occupancy was low.[1] Those terms produced roughly $11.5 million in payments while no detainees were housed and about $7.5 million spent on uneaten meals.[1] At least three people have died at the facility, including detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled a homicide.[2] The GAO found the contractor failed to provide required use-of-force and death reports in the Campos case and that related evidence was missing or destroyed.[2] ICE inspectors found 49 violations of detention standards in February 2026, and four detainees sued the facility in March alleging severe medical neglect.[2]
On July 18, 2025 the Army awarded a Fort Bliss task order to Acquisition Logistics LLC amid pressure to rapidly expand detention capacity, even though the firm had no prior detention experience.[1] The facility opened in August 2025 and operated under those firm-fixed-price terms that required payment for full capacity regardless of occupancy.[1] After inspections and mounting criticism, DHS replaced Acquisition Logistics with Amentum Services in March 2026 under a smaller $453 million contract and said the new deal would add on-site medical care and extra staff.[2]
New reporting emphasizes that Camp East Montana's remote desert site and military-style barracks worsened sanitation, medical-care gaps and security lapses at scale.[1] The GAO's findings and follow-up coverage have prompted calls for tougher vetting and oversight of large, urgently awarded detention contracts.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention that Camp East Montana was operating well below its contracted capacity of 5,000, housing only approximately 1,600 detainees at the end of February 2026. This discrepancy highlights the financial inefficiencies in the facility's operations, as the firm-fixed-price contract terms led to significant payments for unused capacity, amounting to roughly $11.5 million while no detainees were present. Additionally, the summary downplays the scale of ICE's overall population growth, which surged by 71 percent between January 2025 and April 2026, indicating a broader context of increasing demand for detention facilities that may have pressured the rapid opening of Camp East Montana.[3]
While the mainstream account emphasizes management failures and unsanitary conditions, it does not capture the systemic issues related to the reliance on private contractors, which have been shown to prioritize profit over oversight and safety. Research indicates that the structural dependence on ICE revenue streams has resulted in a network of facilities operated by inexperienced firms, contributing to the alarming incidents reported at Camp East Montana. This deeper analysis suggests that the issues at the facility are symptomatic of a larger, flawed system rather than isolated failures.[4]
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
Camp East Montana held approximately 1,600 detainees at the end of February 2026 against its contracted capacity of 5,000.
Immigration Detention: Waste and Performance Issues at Camp East Montana Provide Valuable Lessons for Future Facilities — U.S. Government Accountability Office
ICE’s average daily population of detained noncitizens increased 71 percent from January 20, 2025, to April 1, 2026.
Immigration Detention: Waste and Performance Issues at Camp East Montana Provide Valuable Lessons for Future Facilities — U.S. Government Accountability Office
📌 Key Facts
- Camp East Montana, described by the New York Times as ICE’s largest detention hub, was a central focus of the GAO review into operations and spending (Camp East Montana).
- The facility opened in August 2025 on the grounds of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, has capacity for up to 5,000 immigrants, and was originally operated by Acquisition Logistics LLC before DHS replaced that firm in March 2026 with Amentum Services under a $453 million contract (Acquisition Logistics LLC).
- The GAO found contract terms and rushed operations led to roughly $11.5 million in payments when no detainees were housed and about $7.5 million spent on uneaten meals while the facility ran far below capacity (roughly $11.5 million).
- The GAO reported the contractor failed to provide required use-of-force and death reports and that evidence was missing or destroyed in the case of detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled a homicide; Campos is one of at least three people who have died at the facility (Geraldo Lunas Campos).
- ICE inspectors in February 2026 found 49 violations of detention standards at Camp East Montana — including failures to accurately document required checks to prevent self-harm and suicide — and four detainees sued the facility in March 2026 alleging severe medical neglect (49 violations).
- The New York Times describes Camp East Montana’s remote desert location and use of military-style barracks as factors that compounded GAO findings about sanitation problems, gaps in medical care and security lapses (military-style barracks).
- The Army awarded a July 18, 2025 Fort Bliss task order to Acquisition Logistics LLC amid pressure from the Trump administration’s rapid detention build‑up, a hurried procurement GAO and reporting link to weak vetting and oversight of large, urgent detention contracts (Fort Bliss task order).
- DHS told NPR the new contract with Amentum Services will provide more on-site medical care and additional staff and that the department is working to upgrade and improve conditions at the facility (Amentum Services).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- The NPR article, published June 10, 2026, reports that the GAO found "millions of dollars" were wasted at Camp East Montana on meals and operations billed at full capacity even when detainee counts were far lower.
- It specifies that Camp East Montana opened in August 2025 on the grounds of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, has capacity for up to 5,000 immigrants, and was originally operated by Acquisition Logistics LLC before DHS replaced that firm in March 2026.
- The story identifies detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos as one of at least three people who have died at Camp East Montana and notes the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.
- According to the GAO, the contractor failed to provide required use-of-force and death reports to ICE in the Lunas Campos case, and evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed.
- NPR reports that ICE inspectors in February 2026 found 49 violations of detention standards at Camp East Montana, including failures to accurately document required checks to prevent self-harm and suicide, and that four detainees sued the facility in March alleging severe medical neglect.
- The article states that the original operator, Acquisition Logistics LLC, had no prior immigration-detention experience and held a $1.3 billion contract for the facility before DHS shifted to a new $453 million contract with Amentum Services, a prior subcontractor, in March 2026.
- DHS, in a statement to NPR, said the new contract will allow Camp East Montana to provide more on-site medical care and more on-site staff and vowed upgrades and improvements under the new contractor, while asserting that ICE is "always looking" to improve detention facilities.
- The New York Times article underscores that Camp East Montana operates as ICE’s largest detention hub, highlighting its central role in the current enforcement system.
- It expands on how pressure from the Trump administration’s rapid detention build‑up led the Army to award the July 18, 2025 Fort Bliss task order to Acquisition Logistics LLC despite its lack of detention experience, contributing to the rushed and troubled opening.
- The piece adds narrative detail on how rigid, full-capacity, firm‑fixed‑price contract terms translated into roughly $11.5 million in payments when no detainees were housed and about $7.5 million spent on uneaten meals while the facility ran far below capacity.
- New York Times reporting further describes the scale and layout of Camp East Montana, including its use of military-style barracks and remote desert location, to illustrate how the structural design compounded GAO’s findings about sanitation, medical care gaps, and security lapses.
- The article provides additional reaction and accountability context, quoting current and former officials on how the Fort Bliss experience exposes systemic weaknesses in how large, urgently awarded immigration-detention contracts are vetted and overseen.