Federal workplace safety officials have penalized three construction companies following the workplace death of an employee who was helping construct a massive immigration detention facility in Texas last year.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that serious safety violations occurred during its investigation of the July 21, 2025 fatal accident that killed Hector Gonzalez, 38. Gonzalez died when construction materials collapsed on him while crews worked to complete Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.
These safety violations were brought to public attention in a Monday report from Public Citizen, a watchdog organization that examined companies earning profits from work at the expensive and problematic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.
Gonzalez’s fatal accident occurred just days following the Army’s decision to award Acquisition Logistics a contract valued at up to $1.3 billion for constructing and managing the facility at Fort Bliss, located near the border with Mexico. The detention center began operations the following month and rapidly expanded to become ICE’s biggest facility for immigrants facing deportation proceedings or challenging removal orders, sometimes holding over 3,000 individuals.
The facility has faced numerous problems including accusations of cruel treatment conditions, disease outbreaks, and the deaths of three detainees between December and January. An ICE Office of Detention Oversight inspection conducted in February discovered dozens of violations of federal detention standards. Last month, ICE terminated its contract with Acquisition Logistics, a small Virginia-based company lacking previous detention facility management experience, and awarded a no-bid contract to Amentum Services instead.
“The Trump administration is doling out billions of dollars in taxpayer funds on contracts that have led to the deaths of four people in a six-month period. And things are not likely to improve,” said Public Citizen researcher Douglas Pasternak, who authored Monday’s report.
OSHA conducted its standard investigation into Gonzalez’s workplace death to evaluate compliance with safety regulations. The agency chose not to penalize Acquisition Logistics but pursued fines against three subcontractors involved in the camp’s construction. These companies — Base International, JMJ Production Services and Fulfillment Personnel Services — received citations in January for violations related to powered industrial truck safety standards, according to agency records.
Base International, which employed Gonzalez, is owned by Florida businessman Nathan Albers, who has contributed to Trump and other Republican candidates and organizations in recent years. OSHA determined the company violated safety regulations by exposing workers to “struck-by hazards” from an unstable, elevated stack of composite beams on a forklift during supply unloading operations.
The investigation also cited the remaining two companies for that same violation plus another for failing to verify that employees had proper certification to operate powered industrial trucks at the construction site.
Both JMJ Production Services and Fulfillment Personnel Services accepted reduced penalty payments of $15,000 each through February settlements with OSHA. However, Base International is challenging its citation, which carries a proposed $11,585 fine, according to the agency’s enforcement records. Without a settlement agreement, an administrative law judge will conduct a hearing to review the company’s appeal.
“Base International is appealing the ruling, because there was no wrongdoing by the company,” company spokesperson Tom McNicholas said.
Albers also serves as CEO of Disaster Management Group, a federal contractor operating from the same Jupiter, Florida address as Base International.
Public Citizen’s report characterized Albers as having close ties to the Trump family, noting he contributed over $150,000 to Republican campaigns in 2025. The report also mentioned that Albers’ wife recently co-chaired a pet fundraising event at Mar-A-Lago alongside Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Juan Munoz, founder and president of Austin, Texas-based JMJ Production Services, told the AP by phone Friday, “I wish I could talk about that but you’d have to talk to my attorneys.” He did not respond to a follow-up email he requested.
Fulfillment Personnel Services, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, did not respond to phone calls and email messages requesting comment.
