Serious security and medical oversight violations have been uncovered at the largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. These include a guard losing a loaded firearm, a lack of tuberculosis testing, and the failure to provide treatment to individuals with chronic illnesses. This is stated in a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), as reported by NBC News, according to UNN.
Details
The inspection concerned the Camp East Montana facility at Fort Bliss, Texas, which is the largest ICE facility in the country. The report notes that after the transfer of the facility's management from the Army to ICE in the fall of 2025, numerous violations continued to be recorded.
Specifically, in January, one of the contract guards lost a loaded weapon, which could not be found even after several searches.
Security and Medical Issues
Auditors also found that the contractor failed to conduct mandatory tuberculosis tests, relying only on symptom questionnaires. As a result, an individual with tuberculosis spent time among other detainees. Additionally, it was discovered in December that individuals with diabetes, HIV, and other chronic diseases were not receiving proper treatment.
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The report pays special attention to the death of one of the detainees. Initially, the case was classified as a probable suicide; however, a coroner later determined it was a homicide. According to the GAO, some evidence in the case was lost or destroyed. The FBI and the Inspector General are currently conducting investigations.
In March, ICE terminated its contract with Acquisition Logistics, the company that managed the center. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that the facility would not be closed but modernized. At the end of May, the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights organizations filed a lawsuit against ICE over inhumane detention conditions at Camp East Montana.