Federal investigators reported troubling incidents at the Winn Correctional Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility located in Winnfield, Louisiana. In one case, an officer placed an inmate in a chokehold to break up a fight, and in another, a detainee was stabbed in the thumb with a pen, leaving punctured skin. These episodes were detailed in a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, highlighting multiple instances of mistreatment at the center last year.
The 30-page document offers a rare glimpse into the conditions at an ICE detention center, spotlighting how staff violated federal standards for using physical force. Furthermore, the report states that the facility failed to provide complete video recordings of some violent incidents. This is part of an ongoing audit by the inspector general’s office covering about 200 ICE detention centers.
The number of detainees in ICE facilities has grown significantly during President Trump’s increased immigration enforcement. These detention centers effectively function as prisons for individuals awaiting immigration court hearings or those ordered to be removed from the U.S. Most centers are operated by private companies, central to Mr. Trump’s strategy to deport millions of immigrants.
Recently, a facility in Newark became the site of protests after reports of inmates engaging in a hunger strike due to spoiled food and inadequate medical care. Detainees have claimed they were refused showers, slept tightly packed on bare floors, and were denied medications necessary for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.