The Department of Homeland Security has announced it has terminated the contract for the management of the troubled Camp East Montana in El Paso.
“Camp East Montana is NOT closing, quite the opposite,” a spokesperson for DHS said in a statement. “Rather, ICE has contracted with a new provider following Secretary Kristi Noem’s termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody.”
The DHS did not name a new contractor in its comment.
But according to a posting on SAM.gov, the new company contracted with the site manager is Amentum Services Inc., based in Chantilly, Virginia. The company is tasked with improving conditions within the detention center, which has seen multiple infectious disease outbreaks.
“This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards WITH the ability to provide MORE medical care on-site,” the DHS statement said. “This contract also allows more on-site staff and a PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan. ICE will have even more oversight of the contractors at this facility. Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading.”
Acquisitions Logistics LLC, the previous holder of the contract, had its contract terminated immediately after extensive controversy.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar praised the decision to end the contract but called for an investigation into Acquisitions Logistics LLC for fraud. She also raised concerns about plans to expand the detention facilities.
“While I’m relieved that Acquisition Logistics has been fired by DHS, they should also be investigated for the fraud they’ve perpetrated on the American taxpayer,” Escobar, D-El Paso, said in a statement to the El Paso Times. “Whether the new contractor is an improvement remains to be seen, and I remain deeply concerned about the chronic substandard conditions that exist at Camp East Montana. That tent facility should be shuttered, and ICE’s plan to literally warehouse 8500 human beings in Socorro should be terminated.”
Who is Amentum Services, Inc.?
The Chantilly, Virginia-based company was formerly headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, until 2023, and was founded in 2020.
According to its corporate profile, the global engineering and technology services contractor is the second-largest government services contractor in the U.S. as of March 2026.
By Jan. 22, the company reported revenue of an estimated $3.24 billion and operated in over 70 countries, with an estimated workforce of 50,000 employees.
The company works specifically in advanced engineering, project management, environmental services such as PFAS remediation, nuclear and energy solutions and IT/digital infrastructure.
In March 2026, an Amentum-led joint venture was awarded a $112 million framework contract by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. They also secured a position on a $999 million U.S. Navy contract for demolition and environmental restoration projects.
Under the current CEO, John Heller, who has led the company since March 2022, the company announced in February 2026 that it will move its global headquarters to Reston, Virginia, in early 2027.
Providing ‘comprehensive detention and facility management services at Camp East Montana’
Camp East Montana is poised to be among the largest in the country, projected to house 5,000 detainees. There were around 1,500 people held at the facility, down from a high of 3,100 in January.
The DHS expects Amentum Services Inc. to provide “comprehensive detention and facility management services at Camp East Montana, including secure housing, medical care, transportation, and compliance with ICE National Detention Standards 2025,” according to the document posted on sam.gov.
The requirements also include that the company “must demonstrate the capacity for rapid operational transition and sustained adherence to all regulatory and performance requirements, thereby safeguarding public safety and supporting national enforcement priorities.”
These requirements come after the massive detention center has been plagued by repeated accusations and evidence of abuse.
Alleged abuse, inhumane conditions at Camp East Montana
Former detainees held at Camp East Montana detailed consistent abuses by guards in interviews with the El Paso Times. They reported being called “donkeys,” being told to shut up and threats against detainees’ loved ones.
They also described unsanitary conditions, inedible food that was often half-frozen or rotten, and claimed that medical attention was almost non-existent. The detainees also said there was regular flooding and other unsanitary conditions in the facility.
The lack of sanitary conditions has led to a mental health crisis within the detention center, where some detainees have been held for up to four to five months.
The El Paso Times also reported nearly 90 emergency 911 calls coming from the center in the first 15 weeks of operation, detailing regular medical emergencies and suicide attempts.
The American Civil Liberties Union published a scathing report detailing rampant acts of physical violence against detainees and attempts to force detainees to self-deport. The abuses they faced inside Camp East Montana before their deportations echoed in interviews done by the ACLU.
Escobar has raised major concerns about conditions in the detention center following multiple congressional oversight visits.
In her most recent letter to DHS, Escobar raised concerns that Francisco Gaspar Cristóbal Andrés, the first detainee to die at the center in December 2025, died from medical neglect. The El Paso Times detailed how Cristóbal Andrés’ widow, who was also held at the camp, survived, but he died while in ICE custody at an El Paso hospital.
The reports of abuses boiled over following the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was allegedly involved with Camp East Montana guards on Jan. 3. His death was ruled a homicide. Lunas Campos, 55, is one of three people held there who have died since it opened in August 2025.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
El Paso Times reporter Kristian Jaime contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: DHS terminates Camp East Montana operations contract, hires new provider
Reporting by Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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