A hastily funded ICE facility in Texas, the largest in the US, wasted millions and put detainees at risk, report finds

“Any time federal agencies spend large amounts of money quickly — whether after natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, or our current spending on immigration enforcement — we are attuned to the risk of waste or other problems,” Heather MacLeod, the GAO’s Director of Homeland Security and Justice, told Moneywise. “Unfortunately, we’ve also had similar findings at other DHS detention facilities in the past.”

The GAO report also identified “performance and oversight challenges” that posed “serious risks” to the safety of detainees and staff — including “gaps in medical services,” “unsanitary conditions” and multiple deaths at the facility.

Following its release, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, one of the lawmakers who requested the GAO report, said that, “Excessive use of force, lacking medical and mental health care, and wasted taxpayer dollars are emblematic of this mass deportation scheme.”

Uncovering waste at Camp East Montana

According to the GAO report, the Army took over the search for a contractor to run Camp East Montana after ICE failed to find one.

The questionable spending began with the awarding of a $1.3 billion contract to Acquisition Logistics, which “did not have prior experience providing detention services.” The company was reportedly run out of a Virginia home.

From there, the GAO documented “millions of dollars in waste” as a result of the Army’s failure “to adjust pricing for meals and operational costs if the facility was not operating at full capacity.”

That included $11.5 million for “the full cost for guards, medical services, transportation, meals, and other services” from August 1 to August 15, despite detainees only arriving on August 16.

As well, the Army paid “an additional $423,000 for meals it did not need when the facility was operating below its designated capacity” between August 16 and September 30.

ICE then took over the contract to run Camp East Montana but remained bound to the Army’s original agreement and, thus, paid $7.1 million for meals for 5,000 detainees even though, at times, only 1,600 were housed at the facility.

The report also found ICE broke its own policy by failing to inspect the facility before it opened and noted it lacked perimeter security cameras, areas for attorney and family visitation and outdoor recreation space.

The GAO found “gaps in medical services” too, including failures to properly care for people with chronic conditions and “inadequate tuberculosis screening” that led to an outbreak.

A guard also lost their firearm while at the facility, and it was never found.

The GAO report comes after a February Congressional letter to DHS flagged “food that is rotten or frozen,” dorms housing 72 people being cleaned once every eight days instead of daily, and “flooding and sewage backups … leading to stagnant water.”

Previous reports described the conditions at Camp East Montana as “1,000% worse than a prison” — including one suicide among other attempts, along with the death of detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, which was later ruled “a homicide caused by asphyxia.”

ICE appointed Amentum Services, Inc. as the facility’s new contractor in March.

When asked by Moneywise about the GAO report, DHS noted the new contractor and added that the change allows for “more on-site staff and a precise quality assurance surveillance plan.” They also claimed “ICE will have even more oversight of the contractors at this facility.”