Story perspectives

GAO Audit, Assault Claims Spur Lawsuit Against ICE Montana Camp

7/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit found Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) billed for 5,000 meals before detainees arrived and failed to issue cause-of-death report on a homicide.
Human Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported 64 of 71 detainees at Camp East Montana were assaulted.
A lawsuit filed on May 29 in Texas, after ICE’s review listed 49 deficiencies, alleges First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act violations at camp.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996, expanding ICE’s detention power and driving removals above 200,000 by the early 2000s. A 2023 GAO audit found 5,000 phantom meals billed at $250,000, and Human Rights Watch with the ACLU recorded assaults on 64 of 71 detainees at Camp East, Montana. The episode revives oversight worries from the 1990s.

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Story summary

Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit found Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) billed for 5,000 meals before detainees arrived and failed to issue cause-of-death report on a homicide.
Human Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported 64 of 71 detainees at Camp East Montana were assaulted.
A lawsuit filed on May 29 in Texas, after ICE’s review listed 49 deficiencies, alleges First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act violations at camp.

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