GAO Finds Waste, Medical Gaps at ICE Camp East Montana

A new Government Accountability Office review of Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, found millions in waste, unsanitary dorm conditions linked to missed daily cleanings, and troubling gaps in medical treatment for detainees with diabetes and HIV. The report

By early 2026. Camp East Montana in El Paso. Texas was still operating as one of the country’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention sites. Then a new Government Accountability Office report put a spotlight on what it described as millions in wasted spending. unsanitary conditions in parts of the facility. and serious failures in detainee medical care.

The GAO review—completed by the nonpartisan watchdog after scrutinizing operations at the camp—concluded that both the U.S. Army and ICE had squandered millions on services “that weren’t used or needed.” It also detailed what it called serious issues in how the facility treated detainees. pointing to reports that ICE had previously filed.

The medical problems described by the GAO are stark. As of December 2025, detainees with diabetes and HIV had no treatment plans in place, the watchdog said. By March 2026. the report also found that some dormitories had unsanitary conditions. attributing the deterioration to a lack of daily cleanings.

The report’s account of a death adds another layer of alarm. GAO said evidence tied to a detainee’s death in January 2026 was missing or destroyed.

At the center of the watchdog’s findings is the way the facility’s contracts were handled. GAO said a hasty contracting process contributed to the problems, noting that the initial contractor selected had never previously provided detention services.

The federal government’s response, as described in the report, is split across agencies. DHS agreed with the GAO’s recommendations to address the shortfalls. The Defense Department agreed to implement the watchdog’s recommendation, but disputed some of the “conclusions” that led to it.

A DHS spokesperson said ICE has contracted with a new provider and that the change would improve certain onsite conditions. The spokesperson said: “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. This contract also allows more on-site staff and a PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan.”.

For the Army, the report’s findings still await public response. An Army spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One line in the GAO report captures why the timing has such weight: the problems it described weren’t limited to paperwork or procurement. The watchdog pointed to gaps in care that detainees needed as early as December 2025. to hygiene failures visible by March 2026. and to evidence handling surrounding a death in January 2026. Taken together. the findings suggest the facility’s operational breakdowns were not isolated incidents but recurring failures that management had time to catch and correct—yet did not.

GAO Camp East Montana ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Texas detainee medical care diabetes HIV unsanitary conditions evidence missing or destroyed contracting process DHS response U.S. Army