The last inspection in the country The largest immigration detention facility It found dozens of violations of national standards that potentially exposed detainees to excessive force, illness and other unsafe conditions.
ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight conducted a congressionally mandated inspection over three days in February at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, Reuters reported. Report published online By ICE this week.
The report documents 49 deficiencies, which it defines as violations of detention standards or policies, in areas including use of force and restrictions, security, medical care and others. It was the first inspection issued by this office since the East Montana camp was hastily built and opened last summer.
The number of shortcomings in the camp is very extraordinary. The highest number found in any other inspection conducted by the oversight office so far this year was 13.
“This report is scathing. Camp East Montana gets an F,” said attorney Randall Kalinen, who represents the family of one of the victims. A 36-year-old detainee died There in January – one of at least three deaths since it opened. “It is extremely dangerous. Detainees are not only at risk of excessive force, but also at risk of inappropriate or neglected medical and mental health care, as well as the risk of other detainees.”
The report comes at the same time as ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security Pause your purchase temporarily Of warehouses designed to house up to 7,000 or more migrants in one place. ICE data through February 5 show Camp East Montana was the largest detention site, holding nearly 3,000 detainees daily, most of them men who have not been convicted of crimes.
The inspection was conducted before ICE moved in last month Replacement of the main contractorAcquisition Logistics LLC, amid intense scrutiny of conditions at the East Montana camp. The company had obtained a contract worth up to $1.3 billion to build and operate the camp, although it does not have any experience in this field. The company and its president, Ken Wagner, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Amentum Services, a more experienced contractor, took over operations at Camp East Montana on March 12. Its nearly $453 million non-bid contract to provide detention, transportation and medical services runs through September 30, a federal database indicates.
Detainees typically live at Camp East Montana for several days or weeks while awaiting deportation or before being transferred elsewhere.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat who has toured and met with detainees at the facility several times, said the inspection findings were “a drop in the bucket of profound errors in that facility.” She said that detainees constantly complain of medical negligence and other problems.
She said conditions had not improved, and wondered whether this was intentional to pressure detainees to agree to self-deportation.
“ICE is not at all interested in making any change or holding the contractor accountable,” she said.
An ICE spokesperson said the new contract will result in improved medical care, increased on-site staffing and stricter oversight by ICE.
The inspection report documented a series of safety lapses found during Acquisition Logistics’ tenure. Camp staff did not document whether they were performing required screenings to prevent self-harm and suicide, which 911 calls showed was a major problem at the facility.
Acquisition Logistics refused to provide information about staffing levels to ICE, making it impossible to determine whether they were sufficient to maintain security, according to the report. In one case, a detainee escaped when there were no staff assigned to monitor the perimeter fences.
Inspectors found that tools and equipment were “unsecured and unaccounted for throughout the facility” and that employees did not maintain an accurate inventory of their ammunition.
Security guards who used force and restraints such as handcuffs and witnessed them failed to provide written reports as required in some cases, the report said.
Supervisors also did not document their observations, employees failed to record or save video recordings in some cases, and the facility did not review incidents afterward to examine whether chemical agents or other types of force were used appropriately.
Medical staff failed to isolate a detainee who showed symptoms consistent with tuberculosis, which is spread through the air, and did not notify ICE of the case.
The camp also acted slowly in responding to dozens of grievances filed by detainees regarding medical care, taking between six and 14 business days to respond, the report said.
Despite the problems, the report gave the camp an “acceptable/adequate” rating and recommended ICE work with the new contractor “to resolve deficiencies that remain.”
It responded to one of the most common complaints from detainees: that food rations were too meager. She said the food services program, run by subcontractor Disaster Management Group, provided certification from a dietitian that the “average daily calorie provision on the menu” meets federal recommendations.