ICE extends lease on Texas detention centre where three migrants died

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and The Associated Press, reported that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has extended the lease for Camp East Montana, a migrant detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for at least one more year. The decision, announced last week, comes despite months of pressure from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups seeking the site’s closure. According to the report, the extension will cost taxpayers an additional $776m.

The facility has been controversial since opening on August 1, 2025. Al Jazeera reported that three detainees have died there since then, and that the site held about 1,600 detained non-citizens at the end of February 2026, based on US government figures. Critics, including Texas Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, have alleged poor food and inadequate medical care, while calling for the centre to be shut down.

A joint report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union alleged serious mistreatment at the camp, including assaults by guards, medical neglect, overcrowding and limited transparency. Separately, a June 2026 US Government Accountability Office report found that the facility had not met important detention standards, creating safety and security risks for detainees and staff, according to Al Jazeera.

ICE rejected allegations of abuse in a statement to Al Jazeera, saying people held at the facility are not being beaten or mistreated and have access to food, healthcare, lawyers and family communication. The dispute adds to a broader national debate over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has defended its border policies by pointing to lower border crossings and the risks faced by ICE officers.