dailyloe.com – Deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody are hitting a record pace in 2026, with 25 fatalities reported since October. Three of those deaths occurred at the nation’s largest immigration detention center, a tent facility on a Texas Army base. The site has also logged 49 regulatory violations and serious allegations against staff.
Camp East Montana, located at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, opened in August 2025. It currently houses approximately 3,000 detained immigrants. The facility has a capacity for an additional 2,000 individuals.
According to an NPR investigation published April 3, the camp is both the largest and one of the deadliest detention centers in the country. Federal inspectors visited the El Paso facility in February. They documented 49 violations of federal detention standards.
The violations included failures to properly document suicide prevention checks. Inspectors also found evidence of inadequate medical care provided to detainees. The findings point to systemic operational failures.
The facility was initially operated by a private company called Acquisition Logistics LLC. This company had no prior experience running detention centers. It secured a federal contract worth $1.3 billion.
Acquisition Logistics LLC did not respond to NPR’s questions about camp conditions. The company also did not address inquiries about its management record. Its lack of response adds to transparency concerns.
Among the three deaths at the camp was Francisco Gaspar-Andres, a Guatemalan national. He died of kidney failure in December 2025 after two weeks of hospitalization. His death followed one month of detention.
Disturbing allegations have emerged from within the camp. Guards are accused of betting on which detainee would die next. These claims highlight a profoundly toxic custodial environment.
The record pace of deaths underscores critical flaws in the immigration detention system. The combination of high fatalities and numerous violations demands urgent review. Accountability for both contractors and oversight agencies is now a pressing issue.[]
Source: crypto.news
