U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has renewed its contract for the controversial Camp East Montana detention center in El Paso, Texas, for at least one more year, committing $776 million from the federal budget. The decision comes despite months of demands to close the facility.
Camp East Montana opened on August 1, 2025. In under a year, three detainees have died there. According to U.S. government data, as of late February 2026, the center held approximately 1,600 noncitizen immigrants.
Several Democratic lawmakers and human rights organizations have called for Camp East Montana's closure, citing reports of regular mistreatment. A joint report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) documented severe assaults by guards, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, and a lack of operational transparency.
One detainee told investigators: “The guards beat us. When someone speaks up for their rights, they take it out on everyone. They hit you just for insisting on your rights, food, or medicine when you’re not getting those things.”
Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas said: “They are receiving poor-quality food and no proper medical care. This place needs to be shut down.”
A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released in June 2026 also found that the facility failed to meet key detention standards, “jeopardizing the safety and security of detained immigrants and staff.”
The Trump administration defended its border strategy, noting a drop in border crossings and asserting that ICE officers work in dangerous conditions. ICE, in a statement to Al Jazeera, denied the assault allegations, saying no detainees had been beaten or abused and that all had access to food, medical care, lawyers, and family contact.
Democrats in Texas and other states view the Human Rights Watch and ACLU report as evidence to intensify pressure for changes in ICE enforcement practices, warning that the national debate over immigration policy enforcement will only grow more heated.
