DHS opens new immigration detention facility inside Louisiana's Angola prison

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A caller migration detention installation designed to location hundreds of undocumented immigrants convicted of superior crimes opened successful Louisiana this week arsenic portion of what Attorney General Pam Bondi called a "historic agreement" betwixt the authorities and national government.

The caller installation — which is located wrong the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known arsenic Angola — is designed to location much than 400 detainees.

The installation was fixed the sanction Camp 57 aft Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry being the 57th politician of the state. Federal officials person besides dubbed Camp 57 arsenic "Louisiana Lockup." In a quality release, the Department of Homeland Security described it arsenic portion of a "new partnership" betwixt the Trump medication and the authorities of Louisiana.

U.S. Immigrations Customs and Enforcement officials said that 51 detainees had already arrived astatine Camp 57 arsenic of Tuesday.

"This is not conscionable a emblematic ICE detention installation that you volition spot elsewhere successful the country," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a quality league Wednesday successful beforehand of Camp 57, alongside Bondi and Landry.

She said immoderate of the men who person already transferred determination were convicted of superior crimes, including execution and rape.

"Louisiana is 1 of respective states stepping up to lick these problems," Noem said.

Noem besides indicated that Angola's "notorious" past was 1 of the reasons that it was chosen for Camp 57.

"This is simply a installation that's notorious, it's a facility, Angola Prison is legendary — but that's a connection that these individuals that are going to beryllium here, that are amerciable criminals, request to understand," Noem told reporters.

During Wednesday's quality conference, Landry said the installation is adjacent to a water "full of alligators" and surrounded by a "forest afloat of bears." An serviceman with the Louisiana Department of Corrections told CBS News Wednesday determination are alligators arsenic large arsenic 10 feet successful the lake.

Camp 57 has a chapel and instrumentality library, instrumentality enforcement officials acquainted with the task told CBS News Wednesday.

The facility, which volition location lone men, is separated from the remainder of the Louisiana authorities prisoners incarcerated successful the Angola complex, which spans 18,000 acres.

Camp 57 was shuttered for galore years earlier renovations started astir a period ago. DHS officials said it was renovated into moving bid successful astir 30 days.

Prior to its closure, Camp 57 had been utilized for disciplinary actions against authorities prisoners, according to instrumentality enforcement officials acquainted with the project.

Transferring ICE detainees betwixt facilities isn't caller but has accrued nether the existent administration. A CBS News investigation of authorities information recovered that much than fractional of immigrants detained by ICE betwixt Jan. 20, 2025, and July 29, 2025, were transferred to different installation 2 oregon much times — a greater stock than during the Biden administration, the archetypal Trump medication oregon the 2nd Obama administration.

Detainees are besides getting shuffled further distant during these transfers, CBS News found. Under the existent administration, astir 61% of detainees who started their enactment were transferred much than 100 miles astatine slightest once. That's besides a higher fig than successful past administrations.

Some migration advocates are acrophobic this signifier could marque it much hard for detainees to interaction loved ones oregon their attorneys.

Asked astir the summation successful detention transfers and however and erstwhile ICE determines idiosyncratic should beryllium transferred, Noem said Wednesday that "this circumstantial installation is going to big astir unsafe transgression amerciable aliens successful the country, due to the fact that it is truthful secure. Those individuals are being moved from different facilities astir the country...because it is truthful unafraid down these fences. I would accidental that we determination radical to different facilities for logistics, based connected what state they're being repatriated from, wherever their flights are going, what we request to bash to physique deficiencies, and we volition proceed to bash that arsenic we request to successful bid to deport them retired of the state and instrumentality them backmost home."

Last month, a national justice ordered that the Trump medication dismantle a state-run migration detention halfway successful the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." DHS began moving detainees retired of the installation past week.

Regarding "Alligator Alcatraz," Noem said Wednesday the White House volition proceed to entreaty the judge's orders, due to the fact that she believes the justice "made the incorrect decision."

Kati Weis

Kati Weis is simply a Murrow Award-winning newsman for CBS News based successful New Orleans, covering the Southeast. She antecedently worked arsenic an investigative newsman astatine CBS News Colorado successful their Denver newsroom.

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