ICE is replacing the contractor at its largest immigration detention camp in El Paso, Texas, following intense scrutiny over severe living conditions, the agency announced Friday.
The switch ends Acquisition Logistics, LLC’s management of Camp East Montana, a sprawling facility built last year on the Fort Bliss Army base to house nearly 3,000 detainees in tent encampments. ICE has selected Amentum Services, Inc. — a firm with prior experience working at the camp — as the new prime contractor.
“Amentum’s size, maturity and pedigree make them the right partner at the right time,” an ICE spokesperson said without providing their name. The agency indicated Amentum will implement “higher standards of medical care, more thorough case processing and intake procedures” under well-defined accountability measures.
The decision follows mounting evidence of systemic failures at the facility. Detainees have described inadequate medical access, significant weight loss due to insufficient food, and fear of security personnel using force. An outbreak of measles recently spread among the population, and records show at least 130 calls to 911 in the camp’s first five months, including two deaths, several suicide attempts, fights and medical emergencies.
“Whether the new contractor is an improvement remains to be seen, and I remain deeply concerned about the chronic substandard conditions that exist at Camp East Montana,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes the facility. The El Paso Democrat, who has toured the camp seven times, reiterated her call for the camp’s closure and investigation into “the fraud they’ve perpetrated on the American taxpayer.”
Acquisition Logistics had been awarded a contract worth up to $1.3 billion last year to build and manage the camp despite having no prior experience running an ICE detention facility, no federal contracts exceeding $16 million, and no functioning website. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
ICE’s notice in a federal contracting database indicates the agency is negotiating a no-bid contract with Amentum to run the facility for 180 days. The notice states that only Amentum can provide uninterrupted services due to the “proprietary nature” of the camp’s infrastructure.
Camp East Montana was designed for short-term stays, with ICE data showing an average detention of nine days before detainees are transferred. However, some individuals have remained for weeks or months due to legal challenges or logistical issues with deportation.
The contractor change occurs as ICE plans additional large-scale detention warehouses across the country, with some proposed sites capable of holding up to 8,500 people. Escobar urged ICE to halt those plans, including one near El Paso, which she said would “serve only as tools for the administration’s inhumanity.”
ICE stated it recently completed an inspection of conditions at Camp East Montana but has not released the findings. The agency’s decision to replace Acquisition Logistics comes amid ongoing congressional pressure and legal scrutiny over the facility’s operations.