{"id":1112,"date":"2026-06-10T08:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2026-06-10T08:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:39:05","slug":"texas-ice-facility-spent-11-5-million-on-guards-medical-services-transportation-and-meals-weeks-before-the-camp-even-held-detainees-gao-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1112","title":{"rendered":"Texas ICE facility spent $11.5 million on guards, medical services, transportation and meals weeks before the camp even held detainees, GAO finds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Government Accountability Office\u00a0report documents serious problems\u00a0at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso where three detainees have died in little more than six months. Evidence in one of those deaths, of a 55-year-old Cuban migrant\u00a0who died in January\u00a0after being held down by guards, was \u201cmissing or destroyed,\u201d the report found.<\/p>\n

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ICE rushed to open the camp in August before construction was complete and failed to conduct required oversight to ensure detainees were held in sanitary conditions and receiving adequate medical care, according to the report.<\/p>\n

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The Department of Homeland Security noted that ICE has\u00a0replaced the contractor\u00a0running the facility. \u201cThis new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards with the ability to provide more medical care on-site,\u201d said DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis.<\/p>\n

The GAO\u2019s findings echo past reporting by The Associated Press and other news outlets about dangerous conditions at Camp East Montana, which quickly became the nation\u2019s largest immigration detention facility.<\/p>\n

But the government report also details previously undisclosed incidents, including that a detainee escaped in October due to what ICE called the contractor\u2019s oversight failure. In January, a security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility that was never recovered.<\/p>\n

The contractor failed to administer skin tests to screen detainees for tuberculosis, relying on a questionnaire instead, the report said. The inadequate screening allowed a detainee with tuberculosis to be housed with the general population, which later suffered an outbreak.<\/p>\n

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GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency in Congress that investigates how federal funds are spent and evaluates whether programs and policies are operating effectively. The office opened its review into Camp East Montana at the request of Democrats in the House and Senate.<\/p>\n

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois called the report\u2019s findings \u201cdamning.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe now know even more details of how dangerous and irresponsible the Trump administration\u2019s mass deportation campaign truly is,\u201d said Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that \u201cthose detained are experiencing conditions that shock the conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A rush to build led to an inexperienced contractor<\/h4>\n

Facing pressure to increase its detention capacity, the Trump administration routed the contract to build Camp East Montana through the Army to speed construction after ICE twice failed to successfully award one. That resulted in selecting a\u00a0small, little-known contractor, Acquisition Logistics, for the $1.3 billion deal despite it having no prior experience operating detention facilities and facing what ICE called a \u201csignificant learning curve.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Army \u2014 and later ICE after the camp was transferred to the agency \u2014 wasted millions of dollars paying for services it did not need because the contract did not account for fluctuations in the detainee population, the report said.<\/p>\n

The Army blew up to $11.5 million paying for guards, medical services, transportation and meals in the weeks before the camp held detainees. The agencies wasted millions more because it was contracted to pay the cost of meals for the camp\u2019s maximum population of 5,000, even when the number of detainees there dropped to around 1,600, the report said.<\/p>\n

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Facility didn\u2019t initially meet detention standards<\/h4>\n

The facility did not meet ICE detention standards or the contract\u2019s requirements in several ways when it opened, in part because it had not been inspected as required by ICE policy, the report said. The camp lacked security cameras on the perimeter and had other surveillance blind spots that raised the risk of sexual assaults or escapes.<\/p>\n

The camp could not accommodate detainees using wheelchairs and had no showers compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulting in the disabled being held in medical care rooms.<\/p>\n

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The recreation area wasn\u2019t available for several days, and after one yard was opened, it wasn\u2019t enough space to provide required time for detainees. The law library, space to meet with attorneys and a visitation area did not open for weeks, resulting in detainees being deprived of legal resources and contact with family and friends, the report found.<\/p>\n

The problems persisted as ICE began transporting more detainees there from across the country, the GAO found. While built to house up to 5,000 immigrants for short-term stays, its population has averaged about half of that from October until April, according to ICE\u2019s most recent data.<\/p>\n

Missing evidence and other problems<\/h4>\n

Detainees held at the facility didn\u2019t receive comprehensive health assessments, which meant that those with chronic conditions received substandard care, the report said.<\/p>\n

The contractor cleaned the dormitories weekly rather than daily as required, resulting in unsanitary conditions. Some guards offered detainees cookies if they would clean their own rooms. Acquisition Logistics didn\u2019t reply to messages seeking comment.<\/p>\n

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The GAO report says investigations into the January death of Geraldo Lunas Campos were undermined after \u201cevidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed.\u201d It did not elaborate. Campos died after he was restrained by guards and an outside autopsy report ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxia. The contractor at the facility did not provide use-of-force and death reports to ICE as required, according to the new report.<\/p>\n

An investigation by ICE\u2019s Office of Professional Responsibility into the death is on hold pending a criminal investigation by the FBI.<\/p>\n

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On Jan. 14, Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz, 36,\u00a0died of suicide\u00a0after staff put him in a medical holding room instead of suicide-resistant cell and left him unattended for intervals longer than 15 minutes, the report said. Staff could not see into the room because the contractor had failed to install vision panels that had been requested months earlier, it found.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are huge discrepancies in their failure to prevent suicides,\u201d said Diaz family attorney Randall Kallinen, noting that the report strengthens a potential wrongful death claim he\u2019s considering. \u201cThey are part of an entire laundry list of problems at Camp East Montana.\u201d<\/p>\n

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___<\/p>\n

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Government Accountability Office found a detainee escaped in October and a security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility that was never recovered. 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