Portion of Louisiana State Penitentiary Set Aside for ‘worst of the worst’ ICE Arrests; As Louisiana Considers ICE Detentions at Angola, Parish President Says 'ready to do our part'

Jarvis DeBerry/Louisiana Illuminator

Portion of Louisiana State Penitentiary set aside for ‘worst of the worst’ ICE arrests

A section of the Louisiana State Penitentiary that is undergoing emergency, fast-track repairs will house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.

In a news release, Gov. Jeff Landry’s office said the facility “will house the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE.”

Landry declared a state emergency in late July to allow the expedited repair of Camp J at Angola. The section, which has been closed since 2018, consists of four maximum-security buildings on the 18,000-acre prison grounds. At its peak, the camp held more than 400 prisoners. The state has not said what its capacity would be after renovations.

Once known as the “Dungeon,” most of Camp J had been designated as solitary confinement to segregate prisoners for disciplinary reasons. Corrections officials closed it seven years ago after its cell locks malfunctioned, allowing inmates to evade security checks. Dozens of weapons were discovered after its closure, and more than 80 prison employees quit, retired or were fired related to misconduct at Camp J.

Other than being a quarantine zone for prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic, Camp J has not been in use.

Landry’s emergency order suspended state procurement code and public bid law for the state to secure any materials and write or amend any contracts needed to respond to the emergency. The cost of Camp J’s refurbishment has not yet been made public.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan will join the governor at Angola Wednesday morning to make the announcement official. --->READ MORE HERE

As Louisiana considers ICE detentions at Angola, parish president says 'ready to do our part':

West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard is backing the possibility of housing immigrant detainees at Louisiana's State Penitentiary at Angola.

Havard said this week the parish is "ready to do our part" after Louisiana officials were found to be in talks with the Trump administration about housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at Angola as part of a push to meet the demands of the president's widening immigration crackdown.

He also said he is glad that the attention on Angola as a site for a possible Louisiana version of "Alligator Alcatraz" has pushed Gov. Jeff Landry to expedite repairs at the state prison.

West Feliciana would also love to host President Donald Trump "with open arms" if he decided to make a visit to Angola, Havard said.

A long-abandoned and currently empty wing at Angola called "Camp J" has been identified as where the immigration facility might operate, according to sources with knowledge of the talks between Louisiana officials and the Trump administration.

Landry also issued an executive order last month allowing the state to sidestep procurement and public-bidding rules for renovating Camp J, which has been closed since 2018.

Criminal justice advocates applauded the prison's move to close Camp J, and have said that the wing is not suitable for human occupation.

The possibility of a portion of Angola becoming an immigration facility similar to "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, came after July comments from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in which she said her department was in talks with multiple Republican governors to open similar facilities. --->READ MORE HERE

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