Rep. Gabe Vasquez Demands Transparency Around Status of Billion-Dollar DHS Contract at Camp East Montana

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 16, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons demanding transparency around a billion-dollar DHS contract to operate Camp East Montana. 

The letter came on the heels of Rep. Vasquez’s April 6 Congressional oversight visit at Camp East Montana, during which ICE officials confirmed that Acquisition Logistics was still operating the facility. This claim on April 6 conflicted with earlier statements made by ICE spokespeople that the contract for primary operation of the facility would be awarded to a new contractor, Amentum Services, effective March 13. 

“Members of Congress and the public require transparency into the operation of this facility and clear answers about the status of the contracts,” Vasquez said in the letter. “It is clear that conditions have not improved at Camp East Montana, the Administration is not targeting individuals who pose a proven threat to public safety, and DHS is not being transparent about operations at the facility.”

The letter also noted that Acquisition Logistics had no prior detention experience at the time DHS awarded it the contract to operate Camp East Montana — a contract valued over $1 billion. ICE recently released a report detailing dozens of failures by Acquisition Logistics to meet national detention standards at the facility, including use of force, use of restraints, and inadequate medical care, and Rep. Vasquez confirmed these failures during his April 6 visit at the facility. The new contractor, Amentum Services, and its affiliated companies have received over 100 regulatory violations and tens of millions of dollars in penalties.

The Congressman’s letter and oversight visit at Camp East Montana build upon Rep. Vasquez’s long track record of calling for reform, accountability, and due process at the Department of Homeland Security: 

• Last May, the Congressman introduced the Humane Accountability Act, a bill that requires DHS to tell Congress and the public what it’s doing with taxpayer money — including data on detentions, deportations, and deaths in custody — so families know where their loved ones are and the public knows what its government is doing with taxpayer funds.
• In February 2026, the Congressman sent a letter to DHS alongside Rep. Escobar calling for the closure of the Camp East Montana facility — a request DHS denied.
• Rep Vasquez has introduced the New American Immigration Plan, a commonsense plan to secure our borders, boost local economies, and expand legal pathways — all in a humane, cost-effective way that lives up to our American values of fairness and law and order. 

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