US federal authorities are facing explosive allegations that private security guards at the nation's largest immigration detention facility placed cash wagers on detainee suicides.
Owen Ramsingh, a 45-year-old former legal resident recently deported to the Netherlands, claimed he overheard guards at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, discussing a $500 (£375) betting pool.
The Associated Press investigation reveals that the alleged wagers focused on which prisoner would be the next to take their own life. While a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson has dismissed the account as 'false', the facility has recorded three deaths in just 44 days, including one ruled a homicide by a medical examiner.
Inside the 'Black Hole' of Camp East Montana
Opened in August 2025 on the grounds of the Fort Bliss Army base, Camp East Montana was designed to hold up to 5,000 people in a sprawling complex of windowless tents. The facility was managed by Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia-based firm with no prior experience in detention management, under a $1.3 billion (£981 million) contract.
Ramsingh, who spent months in the facility before his February 2026 deportation, described the conditions as '1,000% worse than a prison'. He told NPR that the betting talk was particularly jarring as he was struggling with suicidal thoughts himself. 'It's so screwed up that you're trying to bet on our lives,' Ramsingh said, noting he personally intervened to stop three other detainees from self-harm.
He said he personally talked three fellow detainees out of taking their own lives while held at the camp.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Ramsingh's account was false but offered no details on how the agency verified that, the AP reported.
Three Deaths In 44 Days: Homicide And Suicide Claims
The allegations of a 'suicide pool' follow a string of fatalities that have drawn condemnation from human rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
- Francisco Gaspar-Andres (Dec 3, 2025): A 48-year-old Guatemalan who died of liver and kidney failure after two weeks in hospital.
- Geraldo Lunas Campos (Jan 3, 2026): Initially reported as 'medical distress' by ICE. However, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing asphyxia from neck and torso compression during a struggle with guards. No one has been charged.
- Victor Manuel Diaz (Jan 14, 2026): A 36-year-old Nicaraguan whose death was labelled a 'presumed suicide' by DHS, a claim his family continues to dispute.
As per DHS, three detainees died at the facility in 44 days. Ramsingh said he first heard about the betting pool shortly after the death of Cuban national Campos.
A February inspection by ICE's own Office of Detention Oversight found 49 violations of detention standards, according to the inspection report. Staff failed to document required checks meant to prevent self-harm and suicide. Inspectors also found unsecured tools and equipment, gaps in use-of-force reporting, and one instance where a detainee escaped because nobody was watching the perimeter.
Scathing Audit Reveals 49 Major Safety Violations
A February 2026 inspection by ICE's Office of Detention Oversight found the facility in a state of near-total breakdown. The inspection report documented 49 deficiencies, a number described by legal experts as 'unprecedented' for a single facility.
- Security Lapses: Staff failed to conduct required suicide watch checks. One detainee successfully escaped because the perimeter was left unguarded.
- Medical Neglect: A detainee with suspected tuberculosis was not quarantined, and staff were slow to respond to dozens of medical grievances.
- Administrative Failure: The private contractor refused to provide ICE with staffing-level data, rendering oversight impossible.
The AP obtained records from more than 130 emergency calls placed from Camp East Montana between its opening and 20 January 2026. The calls logged suicide attempts, seizures, chest pains, and other emergencies at a rate close to one per day.
Detainees described overcrowding, inedible food in small portions, and difficulty obtaining prescription medication. One Cuban detainee in his 50s told the AP he went six weeks without receiving medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and an enlarged prostate.
New Contractor and Calls for Permanent Closure
Amid the fallout, DHS terminated the Acquisition Logistics contract in March 2026. A $453 million (£342 million) no-bid deal was awarded to Amentum Services to stabilise operations. The agency said the new arrangement would bring additional staff and expanded medical care. Despite the change, US Representative Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, has intensified calls to shut down the camp entirely, labelling the situation a 'grave moral evil'.
She wants the Department of Justice to investigate Acquisition Logistics. 'These people are playing with the taxpayer dollars of hardworking Americans,' Escobar told NPR. 'It's unacceptable.'
DHS remains firm that the facility is 'upgrading' rather than closing.
For Owen Ramsingh, the damage is already done. Despite living in the US since age five, he was deported due to a drug conviction from his teenage years, leaving behind a family and a community still reeling from his accounts of the Texas 'tent city'.
