GAO Report Finds Evidence Mishandling and Safety Failures at Texas ICE Camp

The Government Accountability Office released an audit that said evidence tied to the death of detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos at the ICE detention facility Camp East Montana in Texas was missing or had been destroyed, contradicting earlier agency statements that the death was a suicide. The GAO report noted that the loss of evidence hampered any further investigation into the homicide. The same audit also found that ICE’s rapid opening of the camp created unsafe conditions, contributed to multiple detainee deaths, and resulted in the waste of millions of taxpayer dollars on services that were not required.

GAO officials documented failures to meet required standards and mismanagement by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. The findings were described as damning and called for corrective actions.