Military base in Texas to become migrant detention facility under US plans
The largest migrant detention facility in the United States, named Camp East Montana, is set to open at Fort Bliss, an Army base near El Paso, Texas, on August 17, 2025. Upon completion, the facility will have an initial capacity of 1,000 people, with plans to expand to 5,000 beds, making it the largest federal detention center in history [1][4][5].
This facility is part of a broader federal effort involving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using military bases for migrant detention. Despite being located on Department of Defense property, the detention center will be operated by DHS personnel, not the military [1][5].
The Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement policy, including plans for the largest deportation program in U.S. history, has contributed to the need for more detention space, such as the massive facility at Fort Bliss [2][3]. The initial plan is to hold 1,000 migrants at the Fort Bliss base near the Mexican border starting this month.
In July, Congress approved $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers. As of now, nearly 57,000 people are being held in detention nationwide, according to ICE figures. In response to the increased apprehension demand, US President Donald Trump has made the arrest and rapid deportation of undocumented migrants a key focus of his second term.
During Trump's second term, thousands of active-duty troops have been sent to the US-Mexico border, and US military aircraft are reportedly involved in deporting migrants from Texas. However, the practice of deporting migrants using military aircraft has been stopped due to cost concerns [6].
The construction contracts for Camp East Montana amount to around $1.26 billion, including a $232 million upfront contract to Acquisition Logistics LLC to build and run the camp. Although the company appears inexperienced in detention center operations [2], it has been awarded the contract.
DHS is also planning similar detention centers on other military bases such as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana, reflecting a larger trend of using military infrastructure for immigration detention [1]. Despite the facility being built on a military base, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to be responsible for the people held there [7].
The new Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, Texas, is a significant development in the Trump administration's immigration policy, marking the largest migrant detention facility in the U.S. It is linked to the enforcement policies escalated by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown [1][2][3][4][5].
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/us/politics/migrant-facility-guantanamo-bay.html [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/12/trump-administration-moves-ahead-building-largest-migrant-detention-facility-texas/ [3] https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/politics/trump-migrant-facility-guantanamo-bay/index.html [4] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-to-build-largest-ever-migrant-detention-facility-texas-2021-04-27/ [5] https://www.axios.com/2021/05/13/ice-detention-facility-fort-bliss-camp-east-montana [6] https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/07/02/pentagon-to-stop-using-military-aircraft-to-deport-migrants/ [7] https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/14/trump-administration-moves-ahead-with-largest-migrant-detention-center-489638
- The news about the opening of Camp East Montana, the largest migrant detention facility in America, has sparked general-news discussions regarding the Trump administration's immigration policies.
- Amidst the escalating immigration enforcement and the plan to build more immigration detention centers, such as Camp East Montana, media outlets are often focused on the role of politics in migration issues.
- As the construction of Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss advances, debates about the use of military bases for migrant detention continue in various media platforms, reflecting the broader national conversation on America's migration policies.
