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Despite no hurricanes in the Gulf in late July, Louisiana Chief Executive the governor quietly declared a emergency order. Louisiana’s prison complex at Angola – the largest high-security correctional facility in the United States – had become lacking capacity for “violent offenders”, scheduled for relocated on-site, he warned in an executive order.

Renovation of Notorious Isolation Unit

This order permitted the swift repurposing of a decommissioned facility on the grounds once named Camp J – widely labeled by prisoners as a harsh isolation zone because it was house men in extended solitary confinement, at times for extended periods.

During several weeks, the governor’s office was tight-lipped concerning the purpose for Camp J, and the directive went unnoticed by the news media for a number of days.

Crowding and Legislative Reforms

Yet the widespread belief among the state’s criminal justice experts was that the decision was due to a expected overcrowding in correctional facilities because of Landry’s own stringent policies. Though Louisiana already had the highest detention percentage in the US prior to his term, Landry has advocated for legislation to increase sentences, eliminate early release, and place minors in mainstream correctional institutions.

Advocates swiftly objected the reactivation of Camp J, highlighting its history of abuse and violence. One former inmate served 25 years in the local penitentiaries, which involved a portion of them in isolation at Camp J, and stated it was the most difficult place he ever served time.

“It was horrible,” Marshall said.

New Role for ICE Detainees

Yet, which the governor’s directive and the overhaul of Camp J was not done to house the state’s own expanding detainee numbers. It was in service of the administration’s countrywide detention efforts.

In early fall, Landry was accompanied by agents in the White House in front of the updated building to declare that it would be used to detain the “worst of the worst” non-citizen holds arrested by ICE.

“Opposition lenient immigration policies have allowed for the unauthorized crossing of dangerous individuals,” Landry said. “Sexual predators, child-predators, human traffickers, and drug dealers who have caused of damage in America.”

Research have indicated that undocumented immigrants engage in violent acts at lesser levels than Americans – and that rising illegal entry does not lead to higher offense levels in particular areas.

Confusing Roles Between Custody and Prison

This initiative emphasizes the way the federal leadership and conservative officials are trying to blur the legally clear separation between civil immigration detainees and people imprisoned in jail for found guilty – this time by utilizing a facility with a long history of abuse and brutality, in addition to a inherently discriminatory past.

The site – which the administration named the state detention center – follows the establishment of other well-known centers with memorable labels by states throughout the US, like in the Sunshine State, Nebraska and Indiana. It will have the capacity to hold over 400 individuals, representatives said.

Historical and Current Concerns at the Facility

Lately, the Department of Homeland Security issued a list of 51 detainees they said were already being detained at the site and who supposedly have history of illegal acts for major crimes. But while the Trump administration similarly claimed that the detention center in Florida dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” would detain solely the worst criminal offenders, a report found that numerous people transferred had no criminal charges at all.

Ice has frequently used former jails and prisons as custody units. But there are few institutions in the country with the notoriety of Angola. And the decision to use Angola seems as much about trading on the facility’s image as it does about control or convenience.

At a news conference, the agency head the secretary called the prison “notorious” and “infamous”.

Historically a farm with forced labor, the remote facility occupies nearly a vast area of land on the banks of the great river about an brief journey north of Louisiana’s main city. Throughout the 20th century, it earned a image as one of the most infamous prisons – due to the treatment and tasks, mistreatment by staff and systemic abuse.

In the mid-20th century, numerous prisoners slashed their achilles tendons to resist harsh treatment at the facility.

Health services at the prison has likewise been poor. In 2023, a federal judge found that the shortcomings in services at the facility represented “appalling” violations, leading to many of unnecessary suffering and preventable deaths.

The facility has also maintained clear visual ties to its historical roots by continuing to operate as a active agricultural site, where mainly Black prisoners harvest produce under the supervision of primarily white guards. Now, there is active lawsuits trying to end the practice of compulsory labor at the prison, which is known as the “farm line” and is required of the majority of inmates at some point during their time. Certain individuals can make as virtually nothing an hour for their labor, and some are without wages at all.

Civil rights attorneys have argued that the agricultural work serves “no legitimate penological or institutional purpose” and instead is meant to ‘break’ incarcerated men and ensure their submission”.

Imagery and Legal Concerns

Nora Ahmed, legal director at the {ACLU of Louisiana|state civil liberties union|