Camp East Montana lease extended despite deaths and abuse claims
ICE will keep the El Paso migrant detention site open at least another year, a $776m extension critics oppose after abuse claims and deaths.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
The Camp East Montana lease has been extended for at least another year, keeping open a Texas migrant detention centre that critics have urged the US government to close. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said last week the extension for the El Paso facility will cost taxpayers an additional $776m, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press.
The decision comes after months of pressure from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups, who have cited reports of mistreatment at the site since it opened on August 1, 2025. Three detainees have died at Camp East Montana since then, according to Al Jazeera and AP.
ICE told Al Jazeera in a statement that people held at the facility are not being beaten or abused. The agency said detainees have access to food, medical care, legal counsel and communication with relatives.
Why is Camp East Montana controversial?
Camp East Montana has become a focus of criticism because of allegations about conditions inside the detention centre and its role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement system. Local and political opposition has followed its use as a hub for migrant detention, according to Al Jazeera.
Representative Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, told Al Jazeera that detainees were receiving poor food and inadequate medical care. “This place needs to be shut down,” she said.
A joint report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union alleged serious abuse at the facility, including assaults by guards, medical neglect, overcrowding and limited transparency. One detainee told investigators that guards punished people for speaking up about rights, food or medicine, according to the report cited by Al Jazeera and AP.
The US Government Accountability Office also raised concerns in a June 2026 report. The watchdog said the facility failed to meet key detention standards, creating risks for detained noncitizens and staff.
How many people are held there?
Camp East Montana held about 1,600 detained non-citizens at the end of February 2026, according to US government figures cited by Al Jazeera and AP. The facility is in El Paso, a border city that has been central to national fights over immigration policy.
The lease extension places the site back at the centre of a wider debate over ICE detention practices. Democratic lawmakers in Texas and elsewhere have pressed officials to scale back or change ICE’s policing and enforcement methods, according to Al Jazeera and AP.
The Trump administration has defended its border approach by pointing to lower border crossing numbers and arguing that ICE officers work in dangerous conditions. Al Jazeera’s Eva McKend reported that the Human Rights Watch and ACLU findings were expected to add pressure to the national debate over immigration enforcement.
For critics, the new lease signals that the federal government is keeping a troubled detention site in operation despite outside reports warning about conditions. For ICE, the agency’s public position remains that detainees at Camp East Montana are receiving basic services and are not being abused.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.