EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 At least three people overdosed at Camp East Montana, a migrant detention facility in El Paso, raising concerns about detainee safety, according to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar. <\/p>\n
The Democratic Congresswoman said 911 calls obtained through an open records request show emergency crews responded to two suspected overdoses at Camp East Montana within less than 24 hours of one another. The calls, placed by medical staff, reportedly involved two men, ages 35 and 34, on May 23 and May 24, 2026. Emergency calls also indicate that a third suspected overdose took place at the end of February<\/p>\n
According to Escobar, after receiving medical care, both men returned to Camp East Montana in stable condition, and one individual is currently being monitored by ICE medical staff.<\/p>\n
Escobar said she sent a letter on Wednesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella regarding the suspected overdoses. <\/p>\n
In the letter, Escobar wrote that DHS said the incidents were related to an overdose of psychiatric medication and a “self-harm” incident, and raised concerns about the facility’s ability to provide medical oversight. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese incidents raise urgent questions about detainee safety, medical oversight, mental health care, and basic accountability inside a federally operated detention center in our community,\u201d Escobar wrote.<\/p>\n
Escobar pressed DHS and ICE for details on how detainees could have accessed enough medication to overdose while in federal custody, what safeguards failed, and whether illicit controlled substances may have entered the facility. <\/p>\n
She also asked what follow-up care the individuals received after returning to the facility and what the protocol is for mental health care following incidents of self-harm. She said the possibility that the suspected overdoses were not accidental is \u201cequally troubling,\u201d citing DHS\u2019 statement that at least one of the May incidents involved attempted self-harm. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese incidents cannot simply be dismissed as isolated medical emergencies,\u201d Escobar wrote. \u201cThree separate people are suspected of having overdosed inside a federal detention facility while entirely under the supervision and control of the United States government. That reality alone demands immediate scrutiny. These recent suspected overdoses are yet another example of a contractor unable to meet federal standards.” <\/p>\n
Additionally, Escobar asked whether any staff, contractors, or detainees have been implicated in bringing in contraband and if DHS and ICE are actively investigating the incidents. <\/p>\n
According to Escobar, concerns about the facility extend beyond the suspected overdoses. She wrote that since Camp East Montana began operations in August 2025, her office, advocates and community members have raised concerns about conditions at the facility, including \u201cfailures in detainee safety, grossly inadequate medical care, and operational deficiencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camp East Montana, which opened in August 2025, has the capacity to hold up to 5,000 detainees, making it the largest immigration detention center in the United States.<\/p>\n
KFOX14\/CBS4 has reached out to DHS for comment. <\/p>\n
READ THE FULL LETTER HERE: <\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: GAO report finds millions in waste, safety lapses at ICE\u2019s Camp East Montana<\/a><\/p>\n The suspected overdoses come after Camp East Montana continues to face scrutiny over medical and safety deficiencies. <\/p>\n A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released earlier this month found that the rapid development of Camp East Montana resulted in millions of dollars in wasted taxpayer funds and significant operational and safety shortcomings.<\/p>\n \u201cWe identified significant issues with ICE and the Army\u2019s plan acquisition and oversight of the facility. These issues have contributed to the waste of government resources and threats to the health and safety of detained non-citizens,\u201d said Heather MacLeod, Director with GAO.<\/p>\n \u201cOur report states that upon opening, the facility did not meet the national detention standards,\u201d said MacLeod.<\/p>\n One of the issues detailed in the report includes healthcare deficiencies. <\/p>\n A December 2025 site visit by the ICE Health Services Corps uncovered broader healthcare deficiencies. Although detainees received initial intake screenings, the contractor failed to conduct comprehensive medical assessments required within 14 days of arrival.<\/p>\n According to the report, detainees with chronic illnesses\u2014including diabetes and HIV\u2014lacked treatment plans and were not receiving care consistent with federal detention standards.<\/p>\n Additionally, the report addressed a detainee suicide that occurred in January 2026.<\/p>\n Although the detainee exhibited known suicide risk factors, staff placed the individual in a medical holding room rather than a suicide-resistant cell and failed to conduct the required 15-minute welfare checks. ICE officials noted that they had warned the contractor months earlier about the lack of vision panels on medical holding room doors, which prevented continuous observation. The recommended modifications had not been completed at the time of the death.<\/p>\n Officials with DHS previously addressed the report and provided the following statement to KFOX14\/CBS4: <\/p>\n “ICE has contracted with a new provider following the termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody. “This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards WITH the ability to provide MORE medical care on-site. This contract also allows more on-site staff and a PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan. ICE will have even more oversight of the contractors at this facility. Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading.<\/p>\n The report follows a federal lawsuit filed against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging widespread abuse, medical neglect, and unconstitutional conditions at Camp East Montana. <\/p>\n Attorneys representing detainees describe Camp East Montana as a humanitarian crisis, citing allegations of severe medical neglect, excessive use of force by guards, arbitrary solitary confinement, unsanitary living conditions, and inadequate food. The lawsuit argues that conditions at the facility violate detainees’ Fifth Amendment due process rights and federal administrative law.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: Civil rights groups sue ICE over alleged abuse, medical neglect at Camp East Montana<\/a><\/p>\n