Report finds Texas ICE facility wasted millions, endangered detainee

• A government watchdog found a rushed opening of an El Paso ICE facility led to performance issues and waste.
• The facility wasted $11.5 million on meals when no detainees were present and experienced security failures.
• Medical contractor issues led to a tuberculosis outbreak and failures in suicide prevention protocols.
• The Government Accountability Office recommended changes to ICE, the Army, and DHS to prevent future issues.

A federal watchdog agency found the largest U.S. immigration detention center, located on a Texas Army base, allegedly endangered staff and detainees and wasted millions of dollars because it was rushed into operation.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office published a report on Tuesday highlighting several issues that Camp East Montana, on the Fort Bliss base in El Paso, has faced since it was quickly opened by the military and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"While the Army and ICE’s planning and acquisition approach for Camp East Montana enabled them to award thecontract quickly, it contributed to negative outcomes during facility operations," the GAO report states.

One of those issues included $11.5 million wasted on detainees' meals from Aug. 1-15, 2025, when there were no detainees at the facility, among others, the report stated.

These findings come as a lawsuit was filed earlier in the month by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, the Texas Civil Rights Project and law firm Farella Braun + Martel against the detention center, claiming "flagrant human rights abuses" and inhumane treatment.

"Day-to-day life at Camp East Montana is dire," the lawsuit read.

Security failures at the El Paso ICE facility

When the El Paso ICE facility opened, GAO stated there were no security cameras on the perimeter fencing, and there were blind spots in the placement of cameras throughout the facility, increasing the risk of a sexual assault or an escape — which a detainee did in October 2025.

In addition, during a GAO visit to the facility on Sept. 16, 2025, officials told the agency that the post responsible for monitoring security camera footage for all areas of the facility was understaffed. It was also during that same visit that officials were notified that the facility was not equipped to handle detainees with disabilities, so they were kept in medical care rooms.

In January 2026, a contract security guard lost their loaded firearm in the facility. The report stated that "despite several searches of the facility, as of March 2026 the firearm had not been recovered."

Medical care, contractor problems plague Camp East Montana

The facility also faced several discrepancies with its contractors, who were hired to provide the required services.

In the medical department, the GAO reports state that a contractor had been using a tuberculosis symptom questionnaire rather than administering the required skin tests for detainees at intake. As a result, in November 2025, a detainee with tuberculosis was housed with the general population.

As the El Paso Times reported in February 2026, there were two additional active cases of tuberculosis confirmed at Camp East Montana.

The report also emphasized that those detainees facing chronic health issues like HIV or diabetes don't have treatment plans in place in accordance with National Detention Standards.

The facility also did not follow protocol when it came to documenting a detainee's death as a result of the use of force, pointing to a January 2026 incident.

"The coroner’s autopsy found the death to be a homicide due to asphyxia. However, the contractor did not provide use of force and death reports to ICE, as required. In addition, evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed," the report read.

When it came to suicide prevention, the GAO report said that the facility did not follow proper protocol when a detainee was put on suicide watch, which resulted in the death of a detainee in January 2026.

The report noted that although the detainee showed risk factors for suicide, staff placed them in a medical holding room rather than a suicide-resistant cell and left them unattended for intervals longer than 15 minutes.

"In addition, ICE officials raised concerns to the contractors in October 2025 regarding the lack of vision panels on the doors in medical holding rooms because there was no line-of-sight to detained noncitizens. However, the contractor had not installed the vision panels at the time of the death," read the report.

Government watchdog recommends changes from ICE, DHS and Army

The GAO ultimately found that the Army expedited the award of the $1.3 billion facility contract and its construction, which has "negatively affected their planning and acquisition." This also resulted in the selection of a contractor without prior experience providing detention services

The Army also transferred contract administration responsibilities to ICE in October 2025, with ICE also terminating the original contract for convenience in April 2026 and awarding a new contract to a different vendor, which began operating the facility on April 18, 2026.

ICE's nationwide detained population grew by 71% from January 20, 2025, to April 1, 2026, according to ICE data.

Based on its findings, the GAO made four recommendations, including two to ICE, one to the Army, and one to DHS. Specifically:

• The director of ICE should incorporate cost-saving measures, such as tiered pricing for meals and other operations and services, into its detention facility contracts, including the contract for Camp East Montana, to account for population fluctuations.
• The director of ICE should develop controls to ensure that new facilities are inspected as required and meet applicable detention standards prior to housing detainees.
• The secretary of the Army should assess the acquisition of Camp East Montana and identify any lessons learned to inform future acquisitions in support of ICE’s detention efforts.
• The secretary of Homeland Security should assess the acquisition of Camp East Montana and identify any lessons learned to inform future acquisitions in support of ICE’s detention efforts.

In response to the GAO findings, ICE released a statement to USA TODAY saying that "it has contracted with a new provider following the termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War" and that it is continually seeking ways to improve its detention facilities.

“This 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. This contract also allows more on-site staff and a PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan. ICE will have even more oversight of the contractors at this facility. Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading," read the statement.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at [email protected].