Doug MacMillan

Doug MacMillan

@douglasmac.bsky.social

biz + tech investigations @washingtonpost douglas.macmillan@washpost.com https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/douglas-macmillan/

1.1K followers227 following49 posts

Doug MacMillan reposted

Drew Harwell
@drewharwell.com

New: We found cops who kept using Flock to spy on women after they left the force. One used it for five years after retirement, tracking his wife during a custody battle. Another ran searches while he was suspended (and later fired) after killing a 15-year-old boy. Free to read: wapo.st/3UEwWU7

wapo.stTheir police jobs ended. They kept using Flock’s vast surveillance network.Flock employees urged the company to adopt stronger security after a 2024 breach. The company continued to allow practices that left its network vulnerable to unauthorized users.

Doug MacMillan reposted

Drew Harwell
@drewharwell.com

In our story on the cops who stalk women with license-plate readers, we said Flock could make two simple changes to reduce abuse: Require case numbers for every search and proactively scan for suspicious behavior. Now, the company is adopting both wapo.st/3UgJLmZ

wapo.stFlock unveils changes after Post report on police misuse of its networkThe license-plate-reader firm said it will require stricter oversight after a Washington Post investigation found dozens of officers had misused its cameras to spy on their exes and romantic interests...

Doug MacMillan reposted

Eunice Cho
@eunicehcho.bsky.social

Powerful visualization of horrifying conditions of confinement in ICE's holding room cells, based on testimony of brave detainees who came forward to sue ICE and challenge abuses at 26 Federal Plaza. Great reporting by @douglasmac.bsky.social as usual! wapo.st/3R6bdmr

wapo.stICE officials warned of dangerous crowding. See how they kept packing people in.Dozens were held for days in small rooms last year with no beds, showers or full-time medical staff, records analyzed by The Post show.

Doug MacMillan reposted

Rosanna Landis Weaver
@landisweaver.bsky.social

Geo Groups CEO's compensation went up considerably this year because the company is performing so well. A significant number of shareholders voted against the compensation package at the company

Doug MacMillan@douglasmac.bsky.social

ICE's largest contractor privately asked the Trump administration to remove protections for immigrant detainees who work for as little as $1 a day. In ICE's new national detention standards, they got their wish. Gift link to story: wapo.st/4giIJjm

Doug MacMillan reposted

Eunice Cho
@eunicehcho.bsky.social

Great reporting by @douglasmac.bsky.social. GEO's push to change ICE standards is a direct response to successful lawsuits brought by immigrant detainees finding minimum wage violations and unjust enrichment for their $1/day "voluntary" work program. The swamp just got deeper. wapo.st/4giIJjm

wapo.stICE removed detainee protections after private outreach from top contractorIn new federal standards released Monday, the agency appeared to make changes that could benefit Geo Group’s legal defense.

Doug MacMillan reposted

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social

ICE is moving forward with its plans to convert commercial warehouses into mass detention camps which may become the largest prisons in the entire country. Initially, ICE planned to open the first one by now. That never happened. Now they’re targeting early next year.

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com

Breaking news: The DHS is moving forward with its plan to convert warehouses around the country into immigration detention centers, despite mounting legal challenges and a government watchdog probe into the agency’s purchases of the buildings.

washingtonpost.comICE moving forward with warehouse detention plan despite lawsuits, probeNew warehouse contracts in Texas are expected to be awarded after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initially called for a review of the plan.

Doug MacMillan reposted

Andrew Ba Tran
@abtran.bsky.social

We got our hands on internal ICE records that show how widespread use of force, like punches, kicks, takedown maneuvers, restraint holds, and less-lethal weapons such as Tasers and pepper spray in detention centers has grown wapo.st/4tdgBRA (1/)

Doug MacMillan reposted

Adam Sawyer
@adamjst.bsky.social

"The incident was one of at least 780 in which staff members at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities used physical force or chemical agents to control immigrant detainees during the first year of the Trump administration." Gift link: wapo.st/4tdgBRA

wapo.stInternal ICE records reveal widespread use of force in detention centersThe reports detail how guards have increasingly used chemical agents and physical tactics on detainees, including groups demanding adequate water, food and medical care.
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Update: ICE has switched contractors at Camp East Montana and said the facility will stay open: wapo.st/415gawR I corrected my earlier story, which incorrectly said a document showed ICE was taking steps to close CEM. Actually, the document only said ICE planned to terminate contract.

Doug MacMillan@douglasmac.bsky.social

Camp East Montana was supposed to be the Trump administration's model for a new breed of large-scale, makeshift immigrant detention centers. Eight tumultuous months, 60 violations and three deaths later, ICE is preparing to close it. New from me: t.co/jOIIRAMJCo

washingtonpost.comICE taking steps to close detention center at Fort Bliss, document showsPreparations to shutter Camp East Montana in El Paso come less than eight months after facility’s opening, according to an internal ICE document.
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

They reincorporated in Tennessee shortly later (h/t @aaronschaffer.com)

Project Salt Box@projectsaltbox.com

A review of Puerto Rico business records shows that SK2 LLC — the firm ICE hired in November to broker the purchase of warehouses around the U.S. — filed to dissolve the company in February. The company had just been added to the WEXMAC TITUS contract vehicle in January.

Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

A great honor to join @wbur.org's On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti yesterday to talk about who profits from ICE detention, alongside the astute @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social. Catch the whole conversation here: www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...

wbur.orgWho will profit off of ICE’s new detention warehouses?The Trump administration has a $38 billion plan to convert commercial warehouses into massive detention centers for people facing deportation. Inside the Trump administration's massive expansion of de...

Doug MacMillan reposted

The Washington Post
@washingtonpost.com

As the Trump administration embarks on a $38 billion plan to convert industrial warehouses into large-scale holding centers, it is turning to relatively untested businesses to rapidly build and operate the facilities.

washingtonpost.comICE selects untested firms to oversee new warehouse detention centersThe Trump administration has picked new companies to oversee warehouse detention centers, despite their relative lack of experience in immigrant detention.
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Camp East Montana was supposed to be the Trump administration's model for a new breed of large-scale, makeshift immigrant detention centers. Eight tumultuous months, 60 violations and three deaths later, ICE is preparing to close it. New from me: t.co/jOIIRAMJCo

washingtonpost.comICE taking steps to close detention center at Fort Bliss, document showsPreparations to shutter Camp East Montana in El Paso come less than eight months after facility’s opening, according to an internal ICE document.

Doug MacMillan reposted

DougAAdams
@dougaadams.bsky.social

ICE has been buying warehouses around the US, with plans to turn them into a network of processing & detention centers to hold migrants. Our @pbsnews.org segment with @elizlanders.bsky.social @kylemidura.bsky.social and conversation with @douglasmac.bsky.social www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

pbs.orgICE spending billions to turn warehouses into migrant detention facilitiesFor months, ICE has been quietly buying industrial warehouses around the country, reportedly with plans to turn them into a network of immigration detention and processing centers to hold tens of thou...
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Hundreds of journalists lost their jobs today for reasons I cannot comprehend. They include some of the best reporters, editors, photographers in the world and I am extremely grateful to have worked with them. Here’s one way to help them out in this difficult time www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t...

gofundme.comDonate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel SiegelOn Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

ICE just bought warehouses for mega-detention centers in MD & AZ and is nearing deals in GA, MO, NY, NJ, FL. Residents and local officials are pushing back, and scored wins this week in VA & OK. But it’s not clear this plan can be stopped. w/ Jonathan O'Connell. Gift link: wapo.st/49ZKA7W

wapo.stICE buys warehouses for mass detention network, rattling localsICE officials have quietly begun notifying warehouse owners and local officials of their interest in specific properties, prompting efforts to block the projects.
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Geraldo Lunas Campos died Jan. 3 after a struggle with ICE detention center staff. The medical examiner believes it's homicide. ICE is now saying he tried to kill himself. But an eyewitness claims Lunas Campos was handcuffed while guards choked him to death. Gift link: wapo.st/49FW4NG

wapo.stMedical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording saysA fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.

Doug MacMillan reposted

The Washington Post
@washingtonpost.com

Breaking news: An employee of El Paso County’s Office of the Medical Examiner said it is likely to classify the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos at an ICE detention center as a homicide. A detainee says he witnessed Campos being choked to death by guards.

washingtonpost.comMedical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording saysA fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.
Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

“I’m supportive of the president, but I don’t particularly want this." My visit with a small town in Georgia that's gearing up to fight the Trump administration on a plan to convert a warehouse into an ICE detention center with capacity for 9k immigrant detainees. Gift link--> wapo.st/4qhiZGi

wapo.stGeorgia town of 5,000 vows to fight ICE plan to warehouse 9,000 detaineesSome small cities and towns say they don’t have the sewer systems or other infrastructure needed to absorb thousands of detainees.
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Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Despite having a "dietician-approved" menu, people were being widely underfed. The facility planned to increase meal calories by 30%, but as of early Sept that had not happened yet, the ICE inspectors wrote.

Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Read our story for more about the situation at Fort Bliss, where more than 1,400 people are being held despite these and other serious concerns about the conditions. w/ @samueloakford.bsky.social, N. Kirkpatrick & @aaronschaffer.com www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

washingtonpost.com60 violations in 50 days: Inside ICE’s giant tent facility at Ft. BlissAs the Trump Administration rushes to open massive makeshift holding centers nationwide, one former official called the list of violations at Fort Bliss among the worst she’s ever seen.
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Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

The facility lacked basic many policies and procedures required by ICE: ❌ No security plan ❌ No policies for helping the disabled ❌ No policy on strip searching ❌ No directions to guards on using lethal force, which inspectors called a "serious vulnerability"

Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Medical care was deficient: 💉 Medical charts left empty, health screenings never documented. 💊 One person was given psychotropic drugs but there was no record of them consenting to it. 😔 Another person was placed on suicide watch but there was no record of anyone watching them.

Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

For weeks detainees were held virtually incommunicado. No phones, no visits with families, lawyers or ICE deportation officers to learn about their cases. Tablets used to make calls didn't work. "Most of them wanted to know the status of their immigration case," inspectors wrote.

Doug MacMillan
@douglasmac.bsky.social

Because it's an active construction site, only 1/4 planned recreation areas was built, so it had to be shared by 1200+ detainees. They each got 40 min recreation a few times a week. "This lack of recreation time is adding to the detainees' visible frustrations and unruliness" the inspectors wrote.