Capacity to House 400 Individuals Charged with Serious Crimes
The Donald Trump administration in the United States is opening a detention facility for undocumented immigrants charged with serious crimes inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
According to CNN and other U.S. media outlets on the 3rd (local time), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it has established a new partnership with the state of Louisiana and will expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.
On the 3rd (local time), Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, is touring the immigrant detention facility 'Camp 57'. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
The new prison, called 'Camp 57', is located within the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Also known as Angola Prison, the Louisiana State Penitentiary is a facility of about 70 square kilometers located about an hour north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is considered one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, stated at a press conference that Camp 57 has the capacity to hold more than 400 people, and that half of them will be transferred by the end of September. According to U.S. broadcaster CBS, ICE officials said that as of the previous day, 51 detainees had already arrived at Camp 57.
"Designed to House the 'Worst of the Worst'"
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told CNN that the name 'Camp 57' was chosen to honor Louisiana's 57th governor, Governor Landry. Governor Landry explained, "This facility is a repurposing of an existing, unused structure." Government officials stated that Camp 57 was designed to house the "worst of the worst," and that its establishment is part of an ongoing campaign against illegal immigration and violent crime. Both are central to the Trump administration's policies.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said at the press conference, "This is not a typical ICE detention facility that you would see in other states or anywhere else in the United States," adding, "It will house some of the most dangerous criminals who have harmed individuals in this country." She also noted that some of those transferred here have been convicted of serious crimes such as murder and rape. Secretary Noem stated, "Louisiana is one of several states stepping up to address this issue," and added that the notorious history of Angola Prison was also a reason why Camp 57 was chosen.
According to CNN, Camp 57 is separated from the general inmate facilities within Angola Prison, but the Louisiana prison system has faced criticism for forcing inmates to perform labor in dangerous conditions for little or no pay. Among these allegations are claims that, at a site that was once a slave plantation, inmates were forced to pick vegetables by hand in temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius. In 2021, a court found that Angola Prison had provided inadequate medical care to inmates.
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