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2h ago

ICE Inspection Flags 49 Violations at Nation’s Largest Migrant Detention Camp

The findings sharpen questions about detainee safety under a new no-bid contractor.

A bus used to transport detainees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement exits Camp East Montana, at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, U.S., August 17, 2025. REUTERS/Paul Ratje/ File Photo
A sign marks the entrance to a series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center in the desert at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
A series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center loom large in the desert at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
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Overview

  • ICE’s oversight office released its report this week on Camp East Montana in El Paso, finding 49 violations, including 22 tied to use of force, 11 to security, and five to medical care.
  • Inspectors said staff failed to document suicide-watch checks or seek medical and mental health reviews after force, did not save video or file after-action reviews, and missed isolating a detainee who showed tuberculosis symptoms.
  • The report also cited unsecured tools, inaccurate ammunition logs, missing perimeter patrols that let one person escape, and gaps in sexual abuse response planning.
  • ICE replaced the original contractor on March 12 with Amentum under a no-bid deal worth about $453 million, and the agency says the switch will add staff, expand on-site medical care, and tighten oversight.
  • Despite the failures and at least three deaths since mid-December, ICE rated the site “acceptable/adequate,” a judgment now drawing renewed scrutiny from lawmakers, attorneys, and advocates.