NEW REPORT: Immigrant Detention in Louisiana Reaches Crisis Levels Under Trump Administration's First Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Jesse Vad, [email protected]

NEW ORLEANS — The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and partners today released "Year One: Immigrant Detention in Louisiana Under The Trump Administration," a devastating report documenting continuing catastrophic conditions and systematic human rights abuses in Louisiana's immigrant detention centers during the first year of the Trump administration's second term.

Based on interviews with over 2,000 detained individuals across Louisiana facilities in 2025, the report reveals that conditions documented in the organizations' 2024 report "Inside the Black Hole" have not only persisted but worsened as detention numbers exploded.

"This is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis,” said Nora Ahmed, Legal Director of the ACLU of Louisiana. "Louisiana has become ground zero for the Trump administration's mass detention agenda, with nearly 13% of all detained immigrants nationwide held in our state, subjected to illegal conditions that violate their most basic human rights."

The report reveals multiple key findings:

Detention Explosion: Louisiana's average daily detention population surged from 6,851 on January 21, 2025 to a peak of 8,137 by November.

Systematic Medical Neglect: Detained individuals reported severely delayed or nonexistent medical care, with facilities unable to provide prescribed medications or treatments. Pregnant women described experiencing miscarriages without proper care, invasive examinations, lack of prenatal medications, and being hospitalized in shackles in direct violation of ICE's own policies prohibiting detention of pregnant individuals.

Inhumane Living Conditions:

• Unsanitary conditions with mice, insects, mold, and flooding from broken toilets
• Insufficient food portions
• Periods of up to two weeks without outdoor recreation
• Minimal soap and hygiene supplies rationed to last weeks

Targeting of Students: Louisiana became the first long-term detention site for the Trump administration's targeting of students for their speech, including cases that made national headlines.

The report details how Louisiana's existing detention infrastructure, including the unique Alexandria Staging Facility, has been weaponized to rapidly detain and deport individuals from across the country, often separating them from their families, communities, and legal representation.

Despite filing detailed complaints with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in December 2024 documenting violations at South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and Winn Correctional Center, the Trump administration drastically reduced that oversight office in 2025.

"The administration plans to double Louisiana's detained population. This crisis will only worsen without immediate intervention," said Ahmed. "But Congress can act to stop this"

CALL TO ACTION:

The ACLU of Louisiana is calling on Congress to immediately investigate widespread human rights abuses in Louisiana's immigration detention centers and use congressional authority to hold Department of Homeland Security officials, private detention company management, and facility wardens accountable.

The report includes a sample call script for constituents to contact their representatives and demand action.

The full report is available here.

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The ACLU of Louisiana leads the charge to protect the civil rights and liberties of Louisianians, especially those most marginalized and historically harmed. True to our founding during the Civil Rights Movement, we are fearless in the face of intimidation and fight tirelessly to protect and empower Louisiana’s Black, Brown, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities. We are part of a nationwide network of affiliates working in courts, legislatures, and communities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.