Fox News' Jesse Watters says ICE detention centers are ‘amazing’, lauds dental care

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox News host Jesse Watters said Friday, January 23, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities are ‘amazing’ and that migrants held in them are lucky to receive services there.

Watters made the remarks during a segment of ‘The Five,’ where he defended federal detention centers amid scrutiny over treatment of detainees.

The host's comments came in a discussion about allegations of abuse within ICE facilities, including a recent case involving Cuban immigrant, Geraldo Lunas Campos, who died while in custody at a Texas immigration center.

Watters touts services in detention centers

In the exchange with co-host Jessica Tarlov, Watters highlighted healthcare and other provisions available to detainees.

Regarding Campos' death being caused by ICE agents, Watters said “It’s already been debunked weeks ago.”

“The guy was trying to commit suicide, and the people were trying to save his life,” he said. 

According to autopsy findings from the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office, his death was officially ruled a homicide. The medical examiner determined the cause was asphyxia.

Witness accounts cited in the autopsy say Campos became unresponsive while he was being physically restrained by guards.

Campos was one of at least three detainees who died at Camp East Montana in a short period, and the circumstances of his death have prompted scrutiny and calls for investigation into detention practices at the facility.

Watters touts 'dental care' at ICE detention centers

Watters went on to tout the services provided to detainees, entering into a tense exchange with Tarlov, who pushed back against the rosy picture Watters painted of the facilities.

“These detention centers are amazing. You get dental care,” he said.

Tarlov pushed back on Watters’ characterization, challenging the notion that the conditions Watters described reflect the broader reality of ICE detention sites.

“You get free healthcare. Have you ever seen the kind of concierge healthcare services they have at these detention facilities?” Watters replied.

Watters also suggested that migrants from impoverished backgrounds were better off receiving services in US detention centers compared to conditions in their countries of origin.

He said, “This guy came from Ecuador without running water. He’s lucky to have these types of services.”

Scrutiny of ICE treatment of detainees

People have been paying a lot more attention to how ICE treats detainees lately, especially after agents took five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his dad into custody last week.

The family’s lawyer said agents actually used Liam to get someone to open the door; basically, they had him knock and ask to come in so they could check if anyone else was inside.

A photo of Ramos during the arrest spread fast and sparked a huge backlash.

Even Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, told Katy Tur on MS NOW that this arrest never should’ve happened.

“That should not happen, and we don’t want that to happen, and that’s something that I think, you know, the Department of Homeland Security and immigration officials need to ensure does not happen again,” he said.

Critics of recent ICE operations have pointed to cases involving alleged mistreatment and deaths in detention as evidence of systemic issues within the agency’s facilities.