Fort Bliss Detention Center to Get New Operator After Scrutiny

DHS hires Amentum Services to replace Acquisition Logistics at the troubled Camp East Montana facility

Mar. 12, 2026 at 9:24pm

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The Department of Homeland Security plans to award a no-bid contract to Amentum Services Inc. to run the country's largest immigration detention center, Camp East Montana, after three recent detainee deaths and outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles at the facility. Amentum will replace Acquisition Logistics, a small government contractor that previously operated the center at the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas.

Why it matters

The troubled Camp East Montana facility has faced intense scrutiny over its operations, including the deaths of three detainees and disease outbreaks. The decision to bring in a new contractor signals the government's acknowledgment of the facility's problems and the need for improved management and oversight.

The details

Camp East Montana was quickly erected to advance the Trump administration's mass deportation strategy, with the capacity to hold up to 5,000 immigrant detainees. However, the facility has been plagued by issues, including the deaths of three detainees and outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles. The Department of Homeland Security is now terminating its contract with the previous operator, Acquisition Logistics, and awarding a new no-bid contract to the larger engineering and services company Amentum to take over the facility's operations.

  • On January 3, detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died in custody, with the cause of death ruled a homicide by 'asphyxia due to neck and torso compression'.
  • On December 3, detainee Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, died at an El Paso hospital, with the cause of death pending but attributed by medical staff to 'natural liver and kidney failure'.
  • On January 14, detainee Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, was found 'unconscious and unresponsive' in his room, with the cause of death presumed to be suicide but under investigation.

The players

Amentum Services Inc.

A major engineering and electronic services company that will be awarded a new no-bid contract to run the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center, replacing the previous operator, Acquisition Logistics.

Acquisition Logistics

A small Richmond, Virginia-based government contractor that previously held a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate the ICE facility at the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas.

Rep. Veronica Escobar

A Democratic Congresswoman from Texas who has been highly critical of the Camp East Montana facility and its multiple crises.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Rep. Veronica Escobar

What’s next

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The takeaway

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