5CAST w/ Andrew Callaghan Exposing Horrific Conditions of I.C.E. Detention Centers - 5CAST (#17) ft. Douglas MacMillan
Mar 6, 2026
Douglas MacMillan, a Washington Post reporter who investigates corporate and contractor harms, discusses privatized ICE detention centers. He describes inspections at tent facilities, rising deaths in custody, profit motives of GEO Group and CoreCivic, weakened oversight, staffing and medical failures, and how evidence is gathered from inside facilities.
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Camp East Montana Shows Rapid Buildout Failures
- Camp East Montana is a newly built tent-style ICE facility holding ~4,000 people with 60 documented violations and reports of inedible food and missing medical screenings.
- ICE inspectors found broken communication tablets, expired/rotten food, and failure to medically screen many detainees on intake, and three recent deaths occurred there.
Profit Motive Plus Less Oversight Raises Risks
- Privatization creates profit pressure that can reduce staffing and care, while recent rule changes removed independent oversight bodies.
- GeoGroup and CoreCivic face incentives to cut labor and medical costs, and two oversight groups under DHS lost authority to inspect.
Host's Firsthand ICE Processing Experience
- Andrew Callaghan recounts being detained in a South Texas processing center as an American, held for three days in cramped, freezing conditions with one bathroom for ~40 people.
- He describes space blankets, constant cold (~62°F), repeated DVD loops, no phone access, and transfers to Ote Mesa (CoreCivic).