ICE plans to extend a no-bid contract for Camp East Montana through September 2027.
Why it matters: The move keeps one of ICE's largest detention centers open despite calls to close it. It also raises fresh questions about federal spending, procurement and oversight at a facility already criticized by auditors.
- AP reported July 27, 2026 that ICE plans to extend the Camp East Montana contract in El Paso, Texas.
- Procurement records say the extension could run through Sept. 30, 2027 and add up to $776 million.
- ICE proposes to award the work to Amentum Services Inc. on a sole-source basis under 41 U.S.C. §3304(a)(1).
- GAO said Camp East Montana opened in August 2025 as ICE's largest immigration detention facility to date and was opened without a required pre-occupancy inspection.
ICE is moving to keep Camp East Montana operating at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, even as critics have pushed for the facility to close. AP reported that the agency plans to extend the no-bid contract for the detention center through Sept. 30, 2027.
The extension could add up to $776 million in taxpayer cost, according to procurement records cited by AP. That would come on top of a prior $452 million contract awarded in March 2026.
The underlying justification document says ICE wants to award detention and facility management services to Amentum Services Inc. on a sole-source basis. It also says the services were originally awarded by the Department of the Army on July 18, 2025, before being transferred to ICE for contract administration on Oct. 1, 2025. The procurement filing lays out the justification for the extension.
The facility has already drawn scrutiny from the Government Accountability Office. In a June 2026 report, GAO said Camp East Montana opened in August 2025 after an expedited award and construction schedule that hurt planning and acquisition. GAO also said ICE did not inspect the site before housing detained noncitizens there, despite policy requiring a pre-occupancy inspection. Read the report.
GAO said it found or observed serious problems at the site, including gaps in medical services, the loss of a loaded firearm, unsanitary conditions, and other safety and security issues. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso has been among the most vocal critics, calling the facility "the epitome of fraud, waste, [and] abuse" and pressing for its closure. Local reporting and national coverage earlier this year both said ICE planned to keep the center open under Amentum after ending the prior operator's contract.
By the numbers
- $776 million - maximum added cost from the proposed extension through Sept. 30, 2027
- $452 million - value of the March 2026 Amentum contract
- August 2025 - month Camp East Montana opened as ICE's largest detention facility to date
Yes, but: ICE has not publicly explained in the available records why it chose a sole-source extension instead of a competed contract.
What's next: The extension would run through Sept. 30, 2027 if finalized.