U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is terminating its $1.2 billion contract for Camp East Montana, a hastily constructed immigration detention facility in El Paso that has been experiencing a measles outbreak, but will remain open, according to reports from the Washington Post.
A document was distributed to ICE staff, the Post reports, indicating the agency was drafting a letter to terminate the facility’s contract at an unspecified date. The Post originally reported that the contract termination signaled the facility would close, but later corrected its reporting on Wednesday.
The facility’s contract with Acquisition Logistics LLC was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2027, but was eventually terminated, according to the Post. A spokesperson with the company did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
A separate contract was awarded to Amentum Services Inc. on Wednesday to provide housing, medical care and transportation for Camp East Montana, according to records posted to a U.S. General Services Administration website.
News of the potential closure of the facility located on the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base prompted immediate response from U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who called the camp the “epitome of fraud, waste, [and] abuse” after the Post’s original report. Escobar has led calls to close the facility over reports of inadequate medical care.
“The Trump administration has used El Paso as ground zero for its sick, twisted immigration enforcement policies for years, and Camp East Montana is no different,” Escobar said in a statement. “Our community must remain vigilant and committed to the continued fight while rejoicing that this dark chapter is over.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed in a statement that the agency was reviewing the facility’s contract, but that no decision had been made about its extension or termination. Spokespeople for ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to a follow-up question on whether the contract review was scheduled or triggered by some other factor.
“DHS undergoes rigorous audits and inspections of our facilities to ensure they are meeting our high standards,” the spokesperson said.
Camp East Montana has been mired in controversy since it opened in August as part of President Donald Trump’s national effort to arrest and deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants.
In January, the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban detainee, at the camp was ruled a homicide. ICE initially said Campos’ death was due to medical distress then later attributed it to a “spontaneous use of force” to “prevent him from harming himself.”
Campos’ death was the second of three at Camp East Montana in a six-week period beginning in mid-December, and the first homicide ruling for the death of an ICE detainee linked to staff in at least 15 years, according to experts. The three who died at the camp represent half of the six deaths in ICE custody in Texas since mid-December.
At least 14 cases of measles have been detected at the camp and 112 people were being isolated as of Tuesday. The outbreak follows two cases of tuberculosis and several cases of COVID-19 reported in January.
The camp’s population has lowered to about 1,500 detainees, roughly half of its population in January, according to a document obtained by the Post.
The Trump administration seeks to open additional ICE facilities in warehouses across Texas and the country to handle a rapidly increasing detainee population. In January, DHS bought several industrial park warehouses in El Paso for $123 million.
Lomi Kriel contributed to this story.
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