U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced plans to extend its contract with Amentum Services Inc. to operate Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas through September 2027, according to a notice released recently. The extension would add approximately $776 million in costs on top of a $452 million initial contract awarded to the firm in March, bringing the total potential value to more than $1.2 billion through the end of the extended period.
The facility, located at Fort Bliss near the U.S.-Mexico border, has housed an average of more than 2,000 detainees daily since October, though its population has declined in recent months. Democratic lawmakers and advocacy organizations have called for the facility’s closure since its opening in August 2025, citing reported conditions and treatment of detainees. A report jointly released by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union alleged that staff routinely beat detainees, denied them medical care, maintained filthy conditions, and provided inadequate meals. Federal agency reports have also documented unsafe detention conditions, and at least three detainees have died at the facility. Reports indicate the Army and ICE wasted millions on unnecessary services.
ICE justified the no-bid contract extension by arguing that relocating detainees to other facilities would be “impracticable” due to insufficient bed space elsewhere. The agency stated that switching to a different contractor would require replacing proprietary infrastructure and hiring new workers, creating duplicative costs. According to ICE’s notice, any lapse in contract coverage would pose risks to detainee safety and law enforcement operations. Amentum took over operations from a previous contractor that ICE determined had failed to meet performance standards. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment, directing inquiries to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
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