OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:29 PM – Wednesday, September 3, 2025
The new Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, dubbed “Louisiana Lockup,” is now open to house illegal immigrants located at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
The notorious prison, also known as Angola prison, was once named the “bloodiest prison in the south” due to its harsh conditions, and is already holding 51 illegal immigrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The facility earned its nickname in the early 1960s due to frequent stabbings, leading inmates to sue the state in the 1970s over the facility’s harsh conditions, which led to reform.
The facility could potentially replace the capacity lost from Florida’s temporary migrant detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” after a judge struck down its usage, though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vowed to continue fighting to keep the facility open to house illegal immigrants while they await deportation.
“[The Department of Homeland Security] is complying with this order and moving detainees to other facilities. We will continue to fight tooth-and-nail to remove the worst of the worst from American streets,” stated DHS spokesman Nathaniel Madden.
The state of Louisiana is collaborating with the DHS and the ICE agency to secure a portion of the facility to be used for temporary housing, expanding the overall detention space by 416 beds.
ICE is seeking to secure 80,000 new detention beds to add to its current capacity of 41,500 as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. ICE can increase its capacity and operational ability due to the passage of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which provides the agency with roughly $75 billion over the course of four years.
The facility represents the newest renovated facility to be utilized for ICE detention purposes, following Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” Nebraska’s “Cornhusker Clink,” and Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer.”
The newly arrived illegal immigrants will be housed in a previously unused portion of the prison known as “Camp J,” or “the Dungeon,” due to the section mainly featuring solitary confinement-type cells.
“Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with the state of Louisiana to expand detention space,” stated DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “Thank you to Governor Landry for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country. If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in CECOT, Cornhusker Clink, Speedway Slammer, or Louisiana Lockup. Avoid arrest and self-deport now using the CBP Home App.”
“Criminal illegal aliens beware: Louisiana Lockup is where your time in America ends,” added Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R-La.).
“Louisiana Lockup will give ICE the space it needs to lock up some of the worst criminal illegal aliens—murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and gang members—so they can no longer threaten our families and communities. This facility fulfills President Trump’s Make America Safe Again promise. I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan for their leadership and partnership. Together, we’re making Louisiana and America safer.”
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