Democrat Says ICE Restricted Detention Camp Oversight

Published: 22 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

US Representative Veronica Escobar has accused federal immigration authorities of restricting her ability to conduct a congressional oversight visit at Camp East Montana, a large Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility located at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

Escobar, a Democrat who represents El Paso and surrounding communities along the US-Mexico border, said she was prevented from speaking directly with detained immigrants during a visit to the facility last month. She also said she requested surveillance footage related to two disturbances reported at the camp but had not received the material.

The lawmaker said the restrictions represented another challenge to congressional oversight of federal immigration detention facilities under the administration of President Donald Trump.

“The administration obviously has attempted to block congressional oversight,” Escobar said in an interview. She added that the extent of the difficulties had varied depending on directives issued by the administration.

Camp East Montana has attracted considerable attention since it was established at the military base in El Paso. Unlike traditional detention facilities housed in permanent buildings, the centre consists largely of large temporary, soft-sided structures. It has the capacity to hold as many as 5,000 people, making it the largest ICE detention facility in the country, according to the account provided by Escobar and reporting surrounding the site.

The latest dispute comes after two incidents at the facility were reported within a single week in early September. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said that detained immigrants were involved in both incidents.

According to DHS accounts, the first disturbance occurred on 1 September, when detainees allegedly assaulted security personnel by striking and kicking them and throwing tablet devices. A second and larger incident was reported on 7 September and involved approximately 130 detained immigrants, who authorities alleged threw objects, overturned furniture and disabled security cameras.

Escobar said detainees also knocked down partitions separating sections of the tented living quarters, known as pods. An ICE official reportedly called emergency services during the second incident.

The circumstances surrounding the disturbances remain disputed and not all details have been independently established. Escobar said information she received during her oversight visit differed from subsequent reporting concerning the emergency call.

The congresswoman also said that an ICE official attributed difficulties at the facility partly to the nationality of detainees. According to Escobar, the official described Venezuelan detainees as a particularly difficult group. Escobar questioned that explanation and argued that responsibility for managing the facility should also extend to the private contractor operating it.

The Department of Homeland Security disputed Escobar’s description of the restrictions. A DHS spokesperson said members of Congress remain able to request meetings with people held in ICE custody and that ICE facilitates such meetings when both the lawmaker and detainee agree.

The department also rejected the claim that it had received a formal request for the surveillance footage and other information cited by Escobar. DHS said it considers some congressional oversight visits to have a media component but maintained that lawmakers are not being prevented from touring facilities or meeting detainees.

The disagreement reflects a broader dispute over the scope of congressional oversight of immigration detention. Members of Congress have legal authority to conduct oversight visits at ICE facilities, including visiting sites without prior notice and speaking with detained people.

Escobar and other lawmakers previously challenged the administration in court after alleging that congressional access to detention centres had been restricted. A federal judge ruled in their favour in December last year. However, subsequent incidents have led lawmakers to continue raising concerns about access to detention facilities.

Escobar said oversight had become more difficult during the current Trump administration than during the president’s first term.

Camp East Montana has separately faced allegations concerning conditions inside the facility. Immigrants and rights organisations have alleged problems including physical mistreatment, sexual harassment, poor food and inadequate medical care. Those allegations have also been the subject of legal and governmental scrutiny.

At least three people detained at the facility have died while in ICE custody, according to the information cited in the report. One death involving a 55-year-old man was classified as a homicide after an investigation concluded that security guards had beaten him.

An internal ICE inspection conducted earlier this year identified several deficiencies at the facility, including concerns related to the use of force by guards. A separate Government Accountability Office review also identified problems involving the facility’s contract, construction and operating conditions. The review resulted in recommendations to DHS, ICE and the US Army, with the recommendations remaining unresolved at the time described in the report.

Escobar said the findings strengthened her view that Camp East Montana should no longer be operating. She has also argued that the government should hold the private contractor responsible for damage or operational failures associated with the recent disturbances.

The facility has undergone a change in its private operator. Acquisition Logistics, a relatively small Virginia-based company, initially received a contract reportedly worth almost $1.3bn to operate the site. Amentum Services, a Maryland-based company that had previously worked as a subcontractor, took over operations in April.

Escobar said the contractor should bear costs arising from damage if it failed to maintain adequate control of the facility. She also questioned why taxpayers should bear the financial burden for problems that she believes should be addressed through contractual accountability.

DHS offered a different assessment of the facility’s current direction. The department said Camp East Montana was being upgraded rather than considered for closure. It also said the new contractor was providing additional services and stronger quality-assurance measures.

Amentum did not respond to a request for comment in the report.

The controversy at Camp East Montana forms part of a wider national debate over the rapid expansion of immigration detention in the United States. The Trump administration has pursued a broad immigration enforcement programme, resulting in increased attention on detention capacity, facility conditions and the treatment of people held in federal custody.

Escobar has previously investigated detention practices. During the first Trump administration, she criticised the use of force-feeding on hunger strikers held in immigration detention. She has continued to raise concerns about detention policies during the current administration.

The congresswoman said the expansion of detention capacity has increased the need for effective congressional oversight. She argued that lawmakers must be able to inspect facilities, speak with detainees and examine records when concerns arise about security, health or treatment.

The administration and its supporters, however, have maintained that immigration authorities need sufficient control over detention facilities to protect staff, detainees and the wider public. DHS has also defended the current system and said ICE is continually seeking ways to improve detention operations.

The disagreement over Escobar’s visit therefore involves both the immediate question of access and the broader constitutional and institutional debate over congressional oversight of executive agencies.

For lawmakers representing communities along the US-Mexico border, detention policy is particularly significant because their districts are directly affected by federal immigration enforcement. Escobar has repeatedly focused on conditions at facilities in and around El Paso and has made access to detention centres part of her congressional work.

The latest dispute is unlikely to resolve the larger disagreement over Camp East Montana by itself. Escobar is calling for greater transparency and accountability, while DHS says congressional access remains available under existing procedures and that the facility is undergoing improvements.

As investigations and oversight efforts continue, questions surrounding the two September disturbances, the management of the facility and the treatment of detainees are likely to remain subjects of congressional and public scrutiny. The extent to which lawmakers can independently examine those issues will also remain an important part of the debate over federal immigration detention.