U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar continues to carry out oversight at the sprawling Camp East Montana, raising concerns about conditions as a new company takes over management of the site.
Escobar, D-El Paso, made her latest visit to Camp East Montana in early April as the tent detention center was transitioning under a new management contract. It marks her eighth oversight visit to Camp East Montana since the massive detention center opened in August 2025.
Escobar has been dogged in holding ICE officials accountable related to operating detention centers according to government standards. It costs taxpayers billions to have private contractors operate these makeshift facilities.
She noted that during her most recent visit, many of the concerns she’s raised before — including lack of access to medical attention, unsanitary conditions, issues with a lack of information about immigrant’s cases and threats of punishment — remain unaddressed. She also said that detainees are receiving used underwear and that they are washing their own clothes.
The congresswoman said that “nothing had changed.”
The facility continues to be the location of 911 calls from detainees reporting medical emergencies.
Escobar said she believed that getting more ICE oversight at the site could resolve many of the issues, but she found a lack of interest in responding to her concerns.
“The fundamental problem from my perspective is there is not adequate oversight on the ground,” Escobar said. “Initially I thought, well, if we can get more ICE personnel in here, they know how to run a detention center, they know what the standards should be. I was pushing to get more ICE personnel into the facility to perform more oversight at the facility. But frankly, with my last visit, the sense I got with the individual I engaged with, it felt like he really didn’t care about the issues that I was raising.”
An internal ICE investigation also found 49 violations at the site under the management of Acquisition Logistics.
Among the violations of detention policies and operational procedures found were 22 deficiencies related to “use of force and restraints,” 11 issues related to “facility security and control,” and five related to “medical care.” The report also lists two deficiencies in “sexual abuse and assault prevention and intervention,” four deficiencies related to the “grievance system” and one related to telephone access.
Management of the detention center was going through transition during her visit, with Amentum Services taking over the site from Acquisitions Logistics. The previous company had its contract canceled after numerous reports of violations and mismanagement of the largest detention center in the U.S.
The transition was completed on April 17.
It remains unclear if Amentum has experience running a detention center, but Escobar said she will carry out future oversight visits to confirm that the firm is upholding standards.
The issue with the detention center is not just the main contractor, as Escobar explained, but also the responsibility of the sub-contractors working at the site. She noted that one sub-contractor will be replaced, likely the firm contracted for security and guard duties.
Escobar recently pressed acting ICE director Todd Lyons about gaining access to the contracts for Camp East Montana, which her office has struggled to obtain since the facility opened. Lyons, who announced he will be resigning in May, said he would provide the congresswoman with the contracts.
Concern over conducting congressional casework
Escobar raised alarm about her office’s ability to carry out casework on behalf of immigrants detained at Camp East Montana.
“It has been incredibly frustrating,” Escobar said. “We’ve not been able to speak with individuals who were trying to get casework started on, because we can’t speak to them unless they have filled out a privacy release form.”
But the forms are not being made available, Escobar said, despite guards saying the forms are available. She has repeatedly asked for guidance on what to do, as her office has not received a single parcel of mail from Camp East Montana.
This same issue was experienced by U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison, DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party)-Wayzata, during her oversight visit in March. The congresswoman who represents part of Minneapolis had visited the detention facility to meet with immigrants detained in ICE’s Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities, but she was unable to speak to anyone detained in the controversial operation.
Casework is an essential part of the work of a congressional representative, Escobar explained. Her offices does hundreds of cases each month for constituents on issues related to tax issues, pauses in VA benefits and in cases that Social Security checks have not arrived, Escobar explained.
Her office also carries out cases for detained immigrants, who are often the spouses or parents of U.S. citizens. These processes can be a lifeline for both the detainees or for their spouses or loved ones who are concerned that they are receiving their medicine, Escobar said.
“Casework is frequently a lifeline for these individuals, who, as we have seen, are locked up for months at a time without due process,” Escobar said.
But Escobar and her office are unable to open any case unless the detainee signs a release.
‘ICE is detaining people who have little contact with the outside world’
The number of migrants held at Camp East Montana has steadily declined from a high of just over 3,800 in January. The facility has a capacity to hold 5,000 detainees, making it the largest in the country.
There were just over 950 immigrants detained at Camp East Montana at the time of Escobar’s visit. Two weeks later there were 715 detainees held there, according to Escobar’s office.
Escobar and her team were able to speak with 12 women held in the soft-sided detention center during the visit. The detainees were from Cuba, Mexico, Central America and one from China.
One woman from Cuba she spoke with explained to the congresswoman that she had been unable to connect with her lawyer, Escobar said. The woman had entered the U.S. through the CBP One app, which the administration of Joe Biden launched in 2023 to manage the mass arrival of migrants, just to be detained following a court hearing.
The Cuban woman and others questioned why they were detained after doing everything correctly, Escobar said. The congresswoman also noted that there is a sense of desperation with detainees held in Camp East Montana.
“ICE is detaining people who have little contact with the outside world, who are not being given information about their particular cases, including people who ‘did it the right way,’ following the rules, entering legally — all things that Republicans said they wanted to see in the immigration system,” Escobar said. “These are people who did the right thing … and some of whom have lawyers and they are unable to reach their lawyers.”
She added, “No wonder why the mental health of the people in custody at Camp East Montana is at such a desperate level.”
Continued emergencies being reported to 911 dispatches
911 emergency calls from Camp East Montana continue to provide a window into conditions in the massive detention center.
Nearly 200 emergency calls have been made to the El Paso 911 dispatch from the site since it opened in August 2025, according to call logs made available by the city of El Paso. The calls span from July 30, 2025, to April 3, 2026, on behalf of detainees between 19 years old to 89 years old.
The calls included issues related to hypertension, detainees with slurred speech, “heavy bleeding,” an overdose, issues related to pregnancies and suicide attempts.
The last suicide attempt was reported on Jan. 17, according to the 911 call logs. The next day is when ICE reported the alleged suicide of Victor Manuel Díaz, whose autopsy was performed at Fort Bliss. Díaz’s family has called for transparency about the 36-year-old immigrant from Nicaragua’s death and conditions at the detention center.
The El Paso Times previously reported nearly 90 emergency 911 calls coming from the center in the first 15 weeks of operation, detailing regular medical emergencies and suicide attempts.
There is increased concern about access to medical attention in ICE detention centers across the United States, including in Camp East Montana, as the number of deaths in detention has skyrocketed as the Trump administration seeks to expand immigration enforcement. At least 48 people have died in ICE detention since Trump took office, with 17 immigrants dying since Jan. 1, 2026.
Three detainees held at Camp East Montana have died since December, including Díaz. Francisco Gaspar Cristóbal Andrés died in a hospital after experiencing medical issues for months and Geraldo Campos Lunas died on Jan 3 in an incident that the Office of the Medical Examiner in El Paso ruled a homicide.
Escobar suggested in February that Cristóbal Andrés’ death was due to neglect.
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: Rep. Escobar finds ‘nothing had changed’ at ICE detention camp
Reporting by Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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