ACLU cites lack of transparency and financial profits with new ICE detention facility

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The ACLU of Louisiana is condemning the new immigration detention center inside the notorious Angola Prison.

Attorneys said there is a lack of transparency from government officials and questions about financial profits. The ACLU said the public should be aware of the legal status of ICE detention, which is established for civil crimes, not meant to be criminal.

“I think it’s conflating this, and it is confusing people about what the purpose of immigration detention is. Especially when you are housing folks at Angola,” Sarah Whittington, Advocacy Director ACLU of Louisiana said.

Whittington provided background about the area for ICE detention inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, which is known as Camp J. It was a maximum security dorm previously shut down in 2018 because of inhumane conditions. The ACLU said they have submitted several requests to find out its current conditions.

“What you saw was the media show during the press conference. I think all of that was very well staged. But I don’t think it’s going to be lived experiences of the folks living there,” Whittington said.

The requests are a part of multiple public records requests the ACLU has made to Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration and the Department of Corrections. “No one has responded with meaningful information. They told us it’s going to take time,” Whittington said.

A part of the organization’s requests includes finding out which third-party contractor will be running the facility.

“Especially because all of these facilities have standards they have to comply with, and if we know who is running it, then we can start doing audits and asking questions what is happening inside now?” Whittington said.

When asked if there is money to be made in housing these inmates, Whittington said yes.

“In the state of Louisiana, we are the second-highest civil detention state in the country for immigration detention behind only Texas,” Whittington said.

She explains that Louisiana already has nine other housing facilities for ICE detention run by a for-profit company.

“Yes, there is money to be made because the federal government will pay a per diem per person cost every day to house those individuals. We know that it actually does not cost as much to detain them as they are being paid,” Whittington said.

She said the for-profit aspect of immigration detention leads to many questions about living conditions.

“People have been reporting and complaining about these companies for a number of years. Lack of food, spoiled food, insufficient quantities of food. Then the amount of clothing they are provided, bedding, or medical care,” Whittington said.

Landry’s office and the Department of Corrections responded to the ACLU’s public records requests by saying they can expect to receive information in November.

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