GAO Report Details Waste and Deaths at Camp East Montana

A Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday detailed systemic mismanagement, financial waste, and human rights abuses at Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention facility in the United States. Located at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, the facility was rushed into operation in August 2025 to support the mass deportation campaign of the Donald Trump administration. The GAO found that the facility opened before construction was complete, leading to ADA violations, poor sanitation, and security gaps that resulted in a detainee escape and the loss of a loaded firearm.

Operational failures contributed to three detainee deaths within six months, including a suicide and the homicide of Geraldo Lunas Campos. Auditors noted that evidence related to the homicide was missing or destroyed and that the facility suffered from tuberculosis and measles outbreaks due to improper screening. Furthermore, the report documented tens of millions of dollars in wasted taxpayer funds, including $11.5 million spent during the first two weeks while the facility was empty and millions spent on excess meals.

These issues were attributed to a $1.3 billion contract awarded to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a firm with no prior experience in detention operations. In response to the failures, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security replaced the firm with Amentum Services, Inc. in early 2026. While the department maintains that the facility is being upgraded to meet higher standards, U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar has called for the center to be shut down and the original contractor investigated.