Trump Administration to Reportedly Close Controversial ICE Jail in Texas
The Trump administration is reportedly moving forward with plans to close a controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Texas, known as Camp East Montana, which has faced intense scrutiny for harsh living conditions and multiple detainee deaths. According to an internal ICE memo obtained by the Washington Post, the government is terminating a $1.2 billion contract with Acquisition Logistics LLC, the private company tasked with running the jail at Fort Bliss army base in El Paso.
Harsh Conditions and Fatal Incidents
Camp East Montana, a sprawling tented facility opened less than eight months ago, has been repeatedly criticized for its treatment of undocumented immigrants. Since its inception last July, three detainees have died at the camp. In January, the El Paso medical examiner's office ruled the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban migrant, as a homicide due to asphyxia from neck and chest compression. Witnesses reported seeing five guards choking him in a segregation unit.
Other fatalities include Francisco Gaspar-Andres, a 48-year-old Guatemalan man who died from health complications, and Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan detainee who died in a presumed suicide. These incidents contributed to a record 53 deaths in ICE or Customs and Border Protection custody in 2025, as highlighted by Democrats in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Inspections and Violations
ICE inspectors documented dozens of violations during visits to Camp East Montana last year, with detainees complaining of beatings, food deprivation, inadequate medical care, and constant noise from construction. Additionally, a measles outbreak has forced at least 14 detainees into quarantine. Despite these issues, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has often dismissed claims of mistreatment as "fake news," while stating that no final decision has been made on the facility's closure and that it is under review to ensure compliance with standards.
Shift in Detention Strategy
The reported closure coincides with ICE's focus on a "new detention model," involving over $38 billion to purchase and refurbish up to 24 warehouses nationwide for use as immigration camps. Among these is a former distribution center near Fort Bliss. Camp East Montana's population has recently dropped to about 1,500 detainees, half of January's numbers and well below its 5,000-person capacity, as per another ICE memo.
This move reflects ongoing adjustments in U.S. immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, amid persistent controversies over detention practices and conditions.
