Inspection finds dozens of violations of detention standards at a major immigration camp in Texas

A recent inspection at the nation’s largest immigration detention facility found dozens of violations of national standards that potentially exposed detainees to excessive force, disease, and other unsafe conditions.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Detention Oversight performed a congressionally mandated inspection over three days in February at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, according to a report posted online by ICE this week.

The report documents 49 deficiencies, which it defines as violations of detention standards or policies, in areas including the use of force and restraints, security, medical care and more. It was the first inspection released by that office since Camp East Montana was hastily built and opened last summer.

Attorney calls inspection findings ‘scathing’

The number of deficiencies at the camp is highly unusual. The most found in any other inspection by the oversight office so far this year was 13.

“This report is scathing. Camp East Montana gets an F,” said attorney Randall Kallinen, who represents the family of a 36-year-old detainee who died there in January — one of at least three deaths since its opening. “It’s very dangerous. Not only are the detainees in danger of excessive force, they are also in danger of improper or negligent medical care and mental health care, as well as danger from other detainees.”

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The report comes as ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, is pausing the purchase of warehouses intended to house up to 7,000 or more immigrants at a single location. ICE data through Feb. 5 shows that Camp East Montana has been the largest detention site, housing nearly 3,000 detainees per day, the majority of whom are men who have not been convicted of crimes.

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The inspection was conducted before ICE moved last month to replace the prime contractor, Acquisition Logistics LLC, amid intense scrutiny over conditions at Camp East Montana. The company had been awarded a contract worth up to $1.3 billion to build and operate the camp, even though it had no experience in the field. The company and its president, Ken Wagner, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.

Lawmaker calls ICE ‘uninterested’ in improving conditions

A more experienced contractor, Amentum Services, took over operations at Camp East Montana on March 12. A federal database says its nearly $453 million no-bid contract to provide detention, transportation and medical services runs through Sept. 30.

Detainees usually live at Camp East Montana for several days or weeks while they are awaiting deportation or before they are transferred elsewhere.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat who has toured and met with detainees at the facility several times, said the inspection findings were “a drop in the bucket of what is so profoundly wrong with that facility.” She said detainees have consistently complained of medical neglect and other problems.

She said conditions have not improved and wonders whether that is by design to pressure detainees to agree to self-deport.

“ICE is completely uninterested in really creating any change or holding the contractor accountable,” she said.

An ICE spokesperson said the new contract will result in improved medical care, more staff on site and stricter oversight by ICE.

Report documents safety issues

The inspection report documented a series of safety lapses found during Acquisition Logistics’ tenure. Camp staff didn’t document whether they were conducting required checks to prevent self-harm and suicide, which 911 calls show have been a major problem at the facility.

Acquisition Logistics refused to provide information about staffing levels to ICE, which made it impossible to determine whether they were sufficient to maintain security, according to the report. In one instance, a detainee escaped when there was no staff assigned to watch the perimeter fences.

Inspectors found that tools and equipment were “unsecured and unaccounted for throughout the facility” and that staff did not maintain an accurate inventory of its ammunition.

Security guards who used and witnessed the use of force and restraints such as handcuffs failed to file written reports as required in some instances, the report said.

Supervisors also didn’t document their observations, staff failed to record or preserve video recordings in some cases, and the facility did not review incidents afterward to examine whether chemical agents or other types of force were used appropriately.

Medical staff failed to isolate a detainee who had symptoms consistent with tuberculosis, which spreads through the air, and did not notify ICE of the case.

The camp also acted slowly in response to a dozen grievances filed by detainees about medical care, taking between six and 14 business days to respond, the report said.

Despite the problems, the report gave the camp an “acceptable/adequate” rating and recommended ICE work with the new contractor “to resolve the deficiencies that remain outstanding.”

It pushed back on one of the most common complaints from detainees: that the food portions were too meager. It said the food service program, run by subcontractor Disaster Management Group, provided certification from a dietitian that the “average daily caloric provision of the menu” met federal recommendations.