ICE Extends No-Bid Contract for Texas Detention Center Despite Abuse Allegations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced plans to extend its contract with Amentum Services Inc. to operate Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas through September 30, 2027, despite mounting pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups seeking the facility’s shutdown. The no-bid contract extension carries a potential additional cost of $776 million for taxpayers, building on an initial $452 million award granted to Amentum in March when the company was brought in to replace an underperforming contractor.

Since its opening in August 2025, the Fort Bliss detention center has faced persistent allegations of systemic abuse. A joint report released this month by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union documented claims that staff members have beaten detainees, withheld medical treatment, maintained unsanitary living conditions, and provided inedible food. Federal agency reviews have corroborated findings of unsafe conditions and wasteful government spending on unnecessary services, while at least three detainees have died at the facility.

The detention center has held an average of more than 2,000 male and female detainees daily since October 1, though recent population figures have declined substantially, ICE data shows. Democratic members of Congress and several human rights organizations have repeatedly demanded the facility’s closure, citing the documented pattern of mistreatment.

ICE justified the no-bid extension by arguing that relocating detainees to alternative facilities would prove impracticable due to insufficient bed capacity elsewhere. The agency contended that switching contractors would require replacing proprietary infrastructure and hiring new personnel, generating duplicative expenses and operational disruptions that could endanger detainee safety and compromise law enforcement operations.

Amentum, a Virginia-based company, stands to receive more than $1.2 billion in total compensation if it operates the camp through September 2027. The firm’s previous contractor, Acquisition Logistics LLC, was removed after failing to meet ICE’s operational standards, and the initial contract had not reflected actual facility needs, according to the agency’s notice.