At the world's largest immigration detention center, millions of dollars were being wasted, prisoners were dying, and one guard lost his gun.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that contracts were signed in a rush to establish the Camp East Montana detention center in Texas, medical care was scarce, and firearms were even lost inside the facility, it writes. The New Republic.

A report released June 9 said the state spent millions of dollars more than necessary on the facility while failing to meet contractual obligations for medical care, housing and security.

The audit revealed that the rush to award contracts and begin construction by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led to poor project management from the outset. This project, the largest detention center in the country, is located at Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base. This ultimately resulted in millions of dollars in unnecessary costs.

On the subject: Trump administration shuts down immigration detention center oversight office

According to the report, from August 1 to 15, 2025 alone, the Army spent approximately $11,5 million on detainee care in a virtually empty center. Even after 1600 people were eventually brought there, expenses continued to be billed as if the facility had all 5000 beds filled.

By the time the facility was handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in October, the Army had already paid approximately $423,000 for unused food. After that, the agency continued to pay for food at full capacity—approximately $7,1 million from October 1 to March 12.

However, as the report emphasizes, the conditions of the facilities proved far more serious than the financial losses. Despite millions in additional funding, the previous contractor, Acquisition Logistics LLC, which had no experience working with such facilities, failed to ensure basic cleanliness and safety.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports documented food shortages and a contractor's failure to provide mandatory daily cleaning of dormitories. In some cases, staff offered detainees cookies in exchange for cleaning their own rooms, leading to unsanitary conditions. Medical care requirements were also inadequate: tuberculosis testing and comprehensive medical examinations were not performed, and treatment plans for people with HIV or diabetes were not developed.

In several cases, noncompliance with regulations resulted in deaths. In February, the agency recorded a violation in the death of one of the detainees. The cause of death was ruled homicide by strangulation. The contractor failed to submit reports on the use of force and the death, and some evidence, according to the report, was "missing or destroyed."

In March 2026, another report was compiled regarding the suicide of a detainee in January. He was not provided with adequate supervision: despite showing signs of suicidal risk, he was placed in a medical room, not a specially equipped secure cell, and left unattended. Among other things, the contractor ignored concerns about the lack of viewing windows in the door to monitor what was happening inside.

The report describes another disturbing episode: in January, a private security guard lost a loaded firearm inside the facility, and as of March, it had not been found.

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A Government Accountability Office report confirms concerns about Donald Trump's policies regarding such detention centers. The document states that despite lawsuits, local resistance, and an ongoing federal investigation, the administration intends to continue building new, large-scale immigration detention facilities.

Read also on ForumDaily:

A Georgian man has died in ICE custody, marking the 50th death in immigration custody under Trump.

ICE jails are seeing a surge in suicides, with young undocumented immigrants with no criminal history taking their own lives.

Florida's infamous 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center is set to close.

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