Largest ICE detention facility wasted millions and put detainees at risk, report finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mismanagement at a massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas created unsafe conditions that contributed to detainee deaths and suffering even as millions of wasted tax dollars enriched contractors, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office report documents serious problems at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso where three detainees have died in little more than six months. Evidence in one of those deaths, of a 55-year-old Cuban migrant who died in January after being held down by guards, was “missing or destroyed," the report found.

ICE rushed to open the camp in August before construction was complete and failed to conduct required oversight to ensure detainees were held in sanitary conditions and receiving adequate medical care, according to the report.

The Department of Homeland Security noted that ICE has replaced the contractor running the facility. “This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards with the ability to provide more medical care on-site,” said DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis.

The GAO's findings echo past reporting by The Associated Press and other news outlets about dangerous conditions at Camp East Montana, which quickly became the nation’s largest immigration detention facility.

But the government report also details previously undisclosed incidents, including that a detainee escaped in October due to what ICE called the contractor’s oversight failure. In January, a security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility that was never recovered.

The contractor failed to administer skin tests to screen detainees for tuberculosis, relying on a questionnaire instead, the report said. The inadequate screening allowed a detainee with tuberculosis to be housed with the general population, which later suffered an outbreak.

GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency in Congress that investigates how federal funds are spent and evaluates whether programs and policies are operating effectively. The office opened its review into Camp East Montana at the request of Democrats in the House and Senate.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois called the report’s findings “damning.”

“We now know even more details of how dangerous and irresponsible the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign truly is,” said Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that “those detained are experiencing conditions that shock the conscience.”

Facing pressure to increase its detention capacity, the Trump administration routed the contract to build Camp East Montana through the Army to speed construction after ICE twice failed to successfully award one. That resulted in selecting a small, little-known contractor, Acquisition Logistics, for the $1.3 billion deal despite it having no prior experience operating detention facilities and facing what ICE called a “significant learning curve.”

The Army — and later ICE after the camp was transferred to the agency — wasted millions of dollars paying for services it did not need because the contract did not account for fluctuations in the detainee population, the report said.

The Army blew up to $11.5 million paying for guards, medical services, transportation and meals in the weeks before the camp held detainees. The agencies wasted millions more because it was contracted to pay the cost of meals for the camp’s maximum population of 5,000, even when the number of detainees there dropped to around 1,600, the report said.

The facility did not meet ICE detention standards or the contract’s requirements in several ways when it opened, in part because it had not been inspected as required by ICE policy, the report said. The camp lacked security cameras on the perimeter and had other surveillance blind spots that raised the risk of sexual assaults or escapes.

The camp could not accommodate detainees using wheelchairs and had no showers compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulting in the disabled being held in medical care rooms.

The recreation area wasn’t available for several days, and after one yard was opened, it wasn’t enough space to provide required time for detainees. The law library, space to meet with attorneys and a visitation area did not open for weeks, resulting in detainees being deprived of legal resources and contact with family and friends, the report found.

The problems persisted as ICE began transporting more detainees there from across the country, the GAO found. While built to house up to 5,000 immigrants for short-term stays, its population has averaged about half of that from October until April, according to ICE’s most recent data.

Detainees held at the facility didn't receive comprehensive health assessments, which meant that those with chronic conditions received substandard care, the report said.

The contractor cleaned the dormitories weekly rather than daily as required, resulting in unsanitary conditions. Some guards offered detainees cookies if they would clean their own rooms. Acquisition Logistics didn't reply to messages seeking comment.

The GAO report says investigations into the January death of Geraldo Lunas Campos were undermined after “evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed.” It did not elaborate. Campos died after he was restrained by guards and an outside autopsy report ruled the death a homicide due to asphyxia. The contractor at the facility did not provide use-of-force and death reports to ICE as required, according to the new report.

An investigation by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility into the death is on hold pending a criminal investigation by the FBI.

On Jan. 14, Nicaraguan detainee Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, died of suicide after staff put him in a medical holding room instead of suicide-resistant cell and left him unattended for intervals longer than 15 minutes, the report said. Staff could not see into the room because the contractor had failed to install vision panels that had been requested months earlier, it found.

“These are huge discrepancies in their failure to prevent suicides,” said Diaz family attorney Randall Kallinen, noting that the report strengthens a potential wrongful death claim he's considering. “They are part of an entire laundry list of problems at Camp East Montana.”

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.

FILE - A sign marks the entrance to a series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center in the desert at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File)

Adam Scott doesn't feel any differently now than eight years ago when he was 30 feet and two putts away from securing a spot in the U.S. Open at a grueling 36-hole qualifier. He got it done and extended his streak to 17 years in a row playing all the majors.

It was gratifying, yes, but not what he was chasing.

“I am playing all these majors to win them, not just to show up,” Scott said on that humid Ohio evening in 2018.

Nothing has changed except the number, and it's one worth celebrating. When the 45-year-old Australian tees off Thursday in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, it will be his 100th consecutive major.

Jack Nicklaus is the only other player to reach 100 majors in a row, topping out at 146 straight, a record as untouchable as any in sport. Scott simply getting to 100 feels out of reach.

Jordan Spieth is next among active players at 52.

“And then you think of doubling that, and it's insane,” Spieth said. “It's not only playing at a high level, it's taking care of yourself the right way, it's the longevity of a sport that most people ... almost every single person you think of that could have reached 100 missed it because of an injury.”

It happened early for Tiger Woods — 46 in a row until reconstructive knee surgery after he won the 2008 U.S. Open — and for Rory McIlroy, who would be playing 70 in a row next week except for a freak ankle injury playing soccer that knocked him out of the 2015 British Open.

Tom Watson was at 87 in a row when he hurt his left shoulder preparing for the 1996 British Open. Sergio Garcia's streak stopped at 84 when he tested positive for COVID-19 at the 2020 Masters.

Scott avoided all that.

“For nothing to go wrong? It's so easy to miss golf tournaments,” Scottie Scheffler said. “You can get sick. You name it. Something is going to happen. One hundred in a row? It's insane.”

Scott's streak began at the 2001 British Open, and there has been a few close calls. He slammed his right hand in the door of his car before the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and still played, finishing in a tie for 26th.

And then there was 2024, the last time he played a U.S. Open qualifier. He lost in a playoff for the final spot and was first alternate. Scott fell to No. 61 in the world the following week — the top 60 were exempt — but a week earlier, Grayson Murray had taken his life.

World ranking officials, consistent with what they had done when Payne Stewart died, kept Murray in the ranking for four weeks. The USGA removed Murray from consideration — he was No. 59 — and Scott moved up a spot to No. 60 to get in the Open.

Scott goes to his 100th consecutive major looking for a trophy, not a tribute. Even so, he appreciates what he's done to get there.

“It's not something you set out to do, obviously,” Scott said. "I take a lot of pride in my game and everything I put into it. The fact that Jack is the only other one to pass 100 ... and he’s way up there. I told him he didn’t have to worry about that.

“I’m proud of that achievement," he said. ”I would love for my record to be a little better than it is. There’s still a little time."

Scott has won 29 times around the world, including the Masters in 2013. He has reached No. 1 in the world. And now he has a feat that might be equally impressive.

“Absolutely incredible,” McIlroy said. “To even just play 100 majors throughout your career is an amazing achievement, but to play 100 in a row? I just think about the level that you need to be at and no injuries. There's a lot of things that need to fall in line — births of children that fall on those weeks, all that sort of stuff.”

Nick Faldo played 65 in a row, a streak that ended in 2003 with the birth of his daughter.

“To be prepared and be able to play and stay healthy so you can play is quite an achievement,” Nicklaus said.

Nicklaus played the 1962 Masters and didn't miss a major until sitting out the 1998 British Open. He can't think of a time he nearly missed a major. Nicklaus chalked that up to good health, and that's one thing to which Scott can relate.

“Adam is physically gifted as an athlete,” said Justin Rose, who played 48 in a row until he hurt his back during a practice round at the 2022 British Open and had to withdraw.

“He's very limber, strong, the kind of guy who just rocks up to the driving range," Rose said. “You don't see him spending tons of time in the gym warming up. And he swings it so well, he doesn't put a ton of stress on his body."

Scheffler uses the same trainer as Scott and shared a story of when Scott was going to try a dead lift. The Australian started arching his back instead of using his legs, and by the time trainers rushed in to stop him, Scott completed the lift.

“He should have broken his back. I would have been out for a year," Scheffler said. “He's hyperflexible, hypermobile. Very few people are built like that.”

As much as Scott would love to win at Shinnecock Hills — he set the course record in 2013 playing with members, but he has missed the cut there twice in the U.S. Open — he still acknowledges the feat of being in a class only the great Nicklaus occupies.

Scott doubts many more — if any — will be joining them. The modern game is about power, and bodies are breaking down.

“An extreme example I would use is Tiger,” Scott said. "He pushed extremely hard and got to 14 majors really quick and then it all broke down a little bit and he couldn't quite get to the record (18 majors) we all thought he was going to cruise past.

“Relative for everybody else, if they’re going to push themselves really hard, can they keep it together for these long careers we are kind of used to seeing in the game?”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

J.T. Poston poses with the trophy and Jack Nicklaus after winning the Memorial golf tournament, Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Adam Scott, of Australia, hits out of a bunker on the 18th hole during the first round of the Memorial golf tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)