A government inspection of Camp East Montana, the largest immigration detention center in the country, found 49 violations of national detention standards meant to protect the safety and care of people in U.S. custody.
Scripps News obtained a report filed by ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight after a February visit to the privately run camp located on the Fort Bliss Army post in El Paso, Texas.
The inspection occurred five weeks after the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, an immigrant who died in a cell after suffocating during a scuffle with guards in what a local medical examiner determined to be a homicide. ICE says staff was trying to prevent Campos from harming himself, though a 911 call obtained by Scripps News revealed Campos was in handcuffs during the encounter.
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More than a month after Campos' death, the ICE inspectors found Camp East Montana staff was failing to document required checks to prevent immigrants from attempting self-harm or suicide.
The report shows 22 of the violations related to use of force and restraints.
Inspectors found “no documentation” showing staff sought mental health or medical services for immigrants after use-of-force incidents and failed to preserve video or other recordings of the events. The staff also did not file after-action reviews to determine if incidents required further investigation, the report states. In at least some cases, use of force was not immediately reported to ICE as required in the national detention standards.
Other violations include a failure to quarantine a person suspected of having tuberculosis, a highly contagious airborne disease, and failing to inform ICE about the possible infection.
Inspectors also logged two violations for "sexual abuse and assault prevention and intervention...” including not implementing a plan to respond to sexual abuse and assault at the camp.
The report follows investigations by Scripps News and others, including the Texas ACLU and lawmakers, that heard reports of mistreatment and abuse from immigrants at the camp that began soon after the facility opened last summer. Migrants have accused guards of punching, stomping on and slamming detainees to the ground.
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Scripps News also spoke to detainees and their attorneys who said there is a lack of quality medical care, hygiene products and food there. Many of the immigrants held at Camp East Montana have no major criminal histories and are being detained while awaiting their day in immigration court.
During heavy storms, it the soft-sided bunk rooms have leaked water onto beds, immigrants have told Scripps News.
In March, DHS terminated its contract with Acquisition Logistics LLC, the obscure Virginia company run out of a single- family home in Virginia given, a $1.2 billion dollar contract to quickly erect Camp East Montana as part of President Trump’s mass deportation push.
DHS awarded a new contract to Amentum, a more established company with previous government contracts. DHS granted the new contract without sending it out for competitive bidding, listing an exemption for when no other company can satisfy the required work. There are other companies running detention centers across the country.
DHS declined to answer Scripps News’ questions about the inspection report and instead sent a statement saying the contract with Amentum will allow for additional staff at Camp East Montana and potentially more on-site medical care for detainees.
Amentum had a hand in running Camp East Montana even before the new contract, though the nature of their role at the detention center has not been disclosed by DHS or Amentum.
“Amentum has been a close partner with ICE in managing Camp East Montana and was best suited to take over as the prime government contractor for this facility,” the DHS statement said.
