Particle.news
Download on the App Store
13 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Trump Administration Opens 'Louisiana Lockup' ICE Site at Angola Prison

The Angola conversion is one node in a federally funded push to add tens of thousands of immigration detention beds.

Image
In this aerial photo, the Louisiana State Penitentiary lies along the bending Mississippi River, Friday, July 21, 2023, in Angola, Louisiana. The former 19th-century antebellum plantation once was owned by one of the largest slave traders in the US. It spans 18,000 acres – an area bigger than the island of Manhattan – and has its own ZIP code.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The new facility operates inside Angola’s former Camp J unit, with 51 detainees already transferred and roughly 416 beds added.
  • DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Gov. Jeff Landry and ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan unveiled the site and framed it for holding violent offenders.
  • Officials said the once-solitary wing was renovated with air conditioning, attorney meeting space and a law library, and they projected 208 people could be held there by mid-month.
  • The opening is part of a broader expansion funded by the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as ICE seeks up to 80,000 additional beds beyond existing capacity.
  • The buildout faces scrutiny, with a Florida Everglades camp curtailed by a court order and data showing about 45% of people in ICE detention have no criminal record or pending charges.