A section of the Louisiana State Penitentiary that is undergoing emergency, fast-track repairs will house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.
In a news release, Gov. Jeff Landry’s office said the facility “will house the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE.”
Landry declared a state emergency in late July to allow the expedited repair of Camp J at Angola. The section, which has been closed since 2018, consists of four maximum-security buildings on the 18,000-acre prison grounds. At its peak, the camp held more than 400 prisoners. The state has not said what its capacity would be after renovations.
Once known as the “Dungeon,” most of Camp J had been designated as solitary confinement to segregate prisoners for disciplinary reasons. Corrections officials closed it seven years ago after its cell locks malfunctioned, allowing inmates to evade security checks. Dozens of weapons were discovered after its closure, and more than 80 prison employees quit, retired or were fired related to misconduct at Camp J.
Other than being a quarantine zone for prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic, Camp J has not been in use.
Landry’s emergency order suspended state procurement code and public bid law for the state to secure any materials and write or amend any contracts needed to respond to the emergency. The cost of Camp J’s refurbishment has not yet been made public.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan will join the governor at Angola Wednesday morning to make the announcement official.
Aside from its state penitentiary, Louisiana has become a go-to location for the Trump administration since it placed a heightened emphasis on immigration enforcement in January. The state’s nine ICE processing and detentions centers have a combined capacity of 6,000 people, second only to Texas with more than 28,000.
Louisiana State Penitentiary has room to hold more than 6,000 incarcerated people. Its population was 4,253 as of June 30, according to the most recent statistics from the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety.
