Nation's largest ICE detention facility 'wasted' millions after rushed opening, federal report says

The government "wasted" millions of dollars and failed to meet health, security, and use of force documentation requirements after it hastily propped up Camp East Montana, the nation's largest detention facility at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas, a federal report says.

The facility opened in August 2025, when the Army awarded and administered a $1.3 billion contract. ICE later took control over the contracts.

"Army and ICE officials indicated that the expedited time frames directed by senior leadership dictated several decisions related to their acquisition approach, such as using a contracting vehicle not previously used for detention services. They also selected a contractor that did not have prior experience providing detention services," the report, authored by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan agency said.

GAO said it found several deficiencies "resulting in millions of dollars of waste," including the Army's failure to "incorporate flexibilities in the contract to account for occupancy levels below the maximum." In one example, GAO said that in the first 15 days of August 2025, there were no detainees, but the Army still paid the full cost for meals.

The report also says that the facility didn't meet key detention standards when the facility opened, like installing security cameras around the perimeter,  providing outdoor recreation areas, or establishing areas where detainees could meet with attorneys and family members.

"ICE did not identify these issues because it did not inspect the facility prior to housing detained noncitizens there, as required by ICE policy," the report says.

As previously reported by ABC News, in April, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News the agency hired a new contractor for the facility and "is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities."

When ABC News reached out about the GAO report on Wednesday, a DHS spokesperson did not specifically address questions about the findings and instead offered a similar statement.

"ICE has contracted with a new provider following the termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody," the spokesperson said.

'Missing or destroyed' evidence

Three people have died at the facility since its opening, including Geraldo Lunas Campos, who DHS initially said died after attempting to take his own life. As ABC News has previously reported, Lunas Campos' death was later ruled a homicide by the local medical examiner. In a statement in January, DHS said he was pronounced dead after "experiencing medical distress."

The GAO report says the contractor at the facility did not provide use of force and death reports to ICE and found that "evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed. In January, attorneys for the Campos family filed an emergency petition to prevent alleged witnesses from being deported. The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cited reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.

A footnote in the report indicates there's an ongoing criminal investigation into the incident. ABC News has reached out to DHS for comment and clarification.

Missing loaded firearm

The report says ICE also issued a discrepancy report accusing the contractor of failing to uphold adequate weapons control procedures, culminating in the loss of a loaded firearm at the facility that was never recovered.

"The incident exposed the staff, detained noncitizens, and the public to significant risk, including potential unauthorized access to firearms," the report says.

Medical services

The report comes as nearly 180 detainees at the facility are quarantined due to possible measles exposure, according to DHS. When reached previously about conditions at this and other facilities by ABC News, DHS has often claimed that in many cases undocumented immigrants are receiving the best health care they've ever received.

But the report shows that ICE itself had found gaps in medical services provided at the facility.

In December 2025, the ICE Health Services Corps conducted a site visit at the facility and found several medical issues, including that the contractor failed to provide treatment to detainees with chronic conditions. The report also found the facility could not accommodate detainees using wheelchairs, resulting in some detainees being held in medical care rooms.

Camp East Montana is 'upgrading'

The DHS spokesman said Wednesday that the new contractor would help improve conditions at the facility.

"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," the spokesperson added. "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."

The GAO report said it was “too early to assess” if the new contract would resolve the issues it identified.