Soldiers deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border over the summer were living in filth, according to a federal watchdog report released this week.
More specifically, the Department of Defense Inspector General “observed unsanitary conditions in bathroom facilities” at soldiers’ barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas, and housing facilities at the Doña Ana Range Complex in New Mexico, which included “leaking raw sewage, non-functional toilets, and general disrepair of facilities.”
The Inspector General’s visit to Texas and New Mexico took place in late July 2025 and involved a review of housing conditions for soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado. In March, U.S. Northern Command announced that nearly 2,400 soldiers from the unit had deployed to the border, bringing the total number of service members assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border to nearly 9,000. In September, Army officials announced that the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team would be replaced by the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division from Fort Bliss, Texas.
As part of their review, the watchdog also included reports from May through August 2025 written by the Stryker brigade’s preventative medicine team, which noted numerous health and safety concerns at the Doña Ana Range Complex. The medical team found that the housing air conditioners caused respiratory symptoms for soldiers and reported that standing water from AC unit condensation and rain caused a “large increase in both the insect and mosquito population.”
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The Stryker brigade’s medical team reported outstanding work orders for clogged toilets and broken AC units. Multiple soldiers told the investigators that the air conditioners routinely didn’t work.
Soldiers also reported electrical capacity concerns in the barracks. Fort Bliss officials told the Inspector General’s office that exceeding the housing areas’ electrical capacity could lead to “tripping of the circuit breakers, which creates a fire risk in the aging buildings.”
After U.S. Northern Command established the Joint Task Force-Southern Border, its leaders requested barracks from the Fort Bliss Garrison, notes the Inspector General’s report. However, Bliss personnel determined that they couldn’t meet the housing needs on post, so they decided to house some soldiers at the Doña Ana Range Complex. The barracks on Fort Bliss were designated as “housing for transient personnel and not for continuous use,” reads the watchdog report.
Beyond the unsanitary and unsafe conditions, officials also found that the housing itself ran afoul of regulations that specify the amount of time soldiers can be housed in cramped conditions, with exceptions that require waivers from commanders or medical personnel. Fort Bliss housing had “as little as 45 square feet per soldier,” and Doña Ana Range Complex had “as little as 69 square feet per soldier.”
As of November 2025, soldiers at the border were no longer housed at the Doña Ana Range Complex.
