introduced legislation to prevent migrants from being housed on military bases located in the United States by prohibiting the use of federal funds to facilitate such shelter
Prohibit migrants from being housed on U.S. military bases by barring federal funds from facilitating such shelter.
Occurrences
Evidence
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GAO found that the Army and ICE opened Camp East Montana on Fort Bliss in August 2025, that the facility held about 1,600 detained noncitizens at the end of February 2026, and that it did not meet key detention standards. The report also says DHS agreed to keep the facility operating under a new contractor.
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The lawsuit says Camp East Montana is a sprawling tent camp on El Paso's Fort Bliss military base where the federal government has confined immigrants since last August, and alleges dangerous, abusive, and unsanitary conditions.
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The article says Trump signed a new law that gives DHS roughly $70bn more, including $38bn to ICE and $26bn to CBP, with critics saying the law lacks accountability and guardrails.
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ICE's July 22, 2026 justification for Camp East Montana describes an immediate requirement for comprehensive detention and facility management services, including secure housing, medical care, transportation, and compliance with ICE National Detention Standards 2025, and says the acquisition is critical to maintaining uninterrupted detention operations following contract termination. The posted summary states the proposed Amentum contract value, including options, is $1,229,179,038.02 and that funding is provided through One Big Beautiful Bill Act appropriations on a multi-year basis.
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Congress.gov lists H.R.3632, the READI Act, with Sponsor Rep. Carter, John R. [R-TX-31], introduced 05/24/2023. Its latest action was referral to the House Committee on Armed Services on 05/24/2023, and the bill status is Introduced. The CRS summary says the bill would prohibit use of a military installation to house an alien unlawfully present in the United States or undergoing removal proceedings.
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"approximately 130 illegal alien detainees at Camp East Montana began throwing items, flipping furniture, and disabling security cameras."
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"Period of performance Mar 13, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026"
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"the temporary detention of migrants on Department of Defense installations"
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"Carter (TX) | Republican | TX | Aye"
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"Camp East Montana—quickly, which led to several issues."
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"This bill has the status Introduced"
Assessments
Carter sponsored H.R.3632, the READI Act, in May 2023 to prohibit use of military installations to house unlawfully present aliens or people in removal proceedings, which is a serious legislative attempt. But the bill only reached introduction/referral and did not become law. Later evidence shows the opposite outcome: Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss opened in 2025, was still holding detained noncitizens in 2026, and federal procurement/funding continued to support detention operations there. The promised federal funding bar was therefore not delivered.
The promised outcome was not delivered. As of June 2026, migrants were still being housed on Fort Bliss through Camp East Montana, and federal funds were still supporting that operation. The evidence points in the opposite direction of the pledge: the facility remained open, DHS continued it under a new contractor, and federal immigration funding expanded rather than being barred from facilitating such shelter. There is no evidence here that John R. Carter secured enactment of a funding prohibition or otherwise achieved the promised policy change during the relevant term.