U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday the agency will terminate the contractor operating its largest detention facility and replace it with a more experienced company that will work to improve health care and other services.
The change of contractor at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, comes as the camp faces scrutiny of living conditions that detainees say are inhumane since it was hastily built and opened last year.
The six long-tent camps house an average of nearly 3,000 detainees, with mounting evidence supporting claims of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress. There has also been a recent measles outbreak at the camp, leading several Democratic members of Congress to call for its closure.
Detainees say they have difficulty accessing medication and health care, have lost significant weight due to a lack of food, and live in fear of security guards using force. The Associated Press reported last week that there were at least 130 911 calls in the camp’s first five months, including two deaths, several suicide attempts, fights and medical emergencies.
Ousted prime contractor Acquisition Logistics, LLC was awarded a contract last year worth up to $1.3 billion to build and manage the camp at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss base. It had no previous experience operating ICE detention facilities, had never won a federal contract worth more than $16 million, and lacked a functioning website.
ICE has selected Amentum Services, Inc., which served as a subcontractor at the Eastern Montana camp, as the new prime contractor, according to a federal notice released Wednesday and an unnamed agency spokesperson. The Washington Post reported the contractor change Wednesday.
The spokesman did not say what led to the termination of the Acquisition Logistics contract, which records show was scheduled to run until Sept. 30, 2027 and has so far resulted in nearly $600 million in government commitments.
ICE said it recently completed an inspection of camp conditions in eastern Montana, but the findings have not yet been made public. Acquisition Logistics and its president and CEO Ken Wagner did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
ICE said Amentum, known for its work with military and intelligence agencies, was best suited to take over and improve operations.
“Amentum’s scale, maturity and pedigree make them the right partner at the right time,” the spokesperson said. “We will work closely with them to implement higher standards of care, more thorough case handling and intake procedures, and meet performance requirements based on clear accountability measures.”
Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat whose district includes the encampment, said Friday that procurement logistics had been changed. She reiterated her call for the facility to be closed and for the contractors involved to be investigated for “fraud committed on the American taxpayer.”
“It remains to be seen whether the new contractor will improve things, and I remain deeply concerned about the persistent substandard conditions at the eastern Montana camp,” said Escobar, who has visited the facility seven times.
Amentum’s parent company, headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, describes itself as a “global provider of advanced engineering and technology solutions” to U.S. government agencies and other customers. The company has provided services to ICE and other Department of Homeland Security agencies in the past.
A notice posted in a contract database said ICE is negotiating with Amentum for a no-bid contract to operate the Eastern Montana camp, including providing safe housing, health care and transportation. It indicates the contract will last 180 days, and it’s unclear what will happen to the Eastern Montana camp after that period.
“Contractors must demonstrate the ability to rapidly transition operations and continue to comply with all regulatory and performance requirements to safeguard public safety and support state law enforcement priorities,” the notice states.
Citing the “proprietary nature” of the camp’s infrastructure, the notice said no provider other than Amentum could provide uninterrupted service there.
The facility is designed to hold detainees for short periods of time before being transported out, with the average length of detention being nine days, according to ICE data. But some detainees, who have been held for weeks or months, have challenged their detention or encountered logistical problems related to their impending deportations.
The shift comes as ICE plans to operate warehouses across the country to hold more detainees at a single location than the Eastern Montana camp, with plans to call for some sites to hold up to 8,500 detainees. Escobar called on ICE not to open the warehouses, including one planned near El Paso, which she said “will only serve as tools for the government’s inhumane conduct.”
