Employees of Akima Global Services, LLC — the security subcontractor at Camp East Montana — are being told reports of the possible closing of the massive detention center are not true, according to communications shared with the El Paso Times.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, March 4, that the Department of Homeland Security was considering closing the detention center.
Employees at Camp East Montana, however, said on Friday, March 6, that they were told the detention center was not closing.
“Camp East Montana will remain open,” Bethany Castillo told the team in the internal message. “At this time, it is important that we continue operating as usual and remain focused on our work without disruption. Should there be any future updates, we will communicate them promptly.”
It’s unclear what Castillo’s role is related to Camp East Montana.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar issued a statement following the publication of the Washington Post story, “rejoicing that this dark chapter is over,” in response to reports that ICE is closing Camp East Montana on Fort Bliss Army Post.
Escobar, D-El Paso, has long called for the closure of the sprawling immigration detention center following her multiple congressional oversight visits and following reports of inhumane and abuse.
“The Trump administration has used El Paso as ground zero for its sick, twisted immigration enforcement policies for years, and Camp East Montana is no different,” Escobar said in a statement. “It represents the epitome of fraud, waste, abuse, and the exploitation of human suffering at the hands of private prison corporations and the Trump administration … The $1.24 billion cost for this facility could have been used for healthcare, nutrition programs, and a litany of other things to improve our society and our country. Instead, it promoted the dehumanization of immigrants and lined the pockets of a corrupt, incompetent private prison corporation.”
Akima Global Services, LLC is an Alaska Native Corporation “owned by 15,000+ Iñupiat shareholders,” according to its website. It is based in Herndon, Virginia.
The security firm was subcontracted with Acquisition Logistics LLC, which is based in Henrico, Virginia. Acquisition Logistics received a $1.2 billion contract for constructing and managing soft-sided detention center.
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Camp East Montana is the largest privately run detention center in the United States, poised to hold up to 5,000 people. There are around 1,500 people held at the facility, down from a high of 3,100 in January.
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, detailing how there was regular flooding and unsanitary conditions in the facility.
The reports of abuses boiled over following the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, involving 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.
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 called for the closure of the site because of these abuses. She has also raised concerns about the lack of training for guards, telling the El Paso Times that private guards contracted at the detention facility work six to seven days a week in 12-hour shifts, and receive only 40 hours of training.
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.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Camp East Montana will remain open’: internal messages say
Reporting by Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
