Today marks four days of an ongoing hunger strike led by nineteen individuals detained at the new Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Camp J at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (“Angola”).
Their demands are:
Medical care, mental health care, and necessary prescription medications
Basic necessities such as toilet paper, sufficient hygiene products, and ample clean water
Visitation from ICE officers to address and remedy their grievances about the facility and prison conditions
Organizations have received reports that people are missing basic supplies like toothbrushes, toilet paper and shampoo, and have not had the opportunity to speak with ICE officers since their arrival. Additionally, it has been reported that individuals with chronic physical and mental health conditions are not receiving their medications.These issues are in addition to a complete lack of other key services, like a law library and religious services, which are required by the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS).
These strikers were abruptly moved to Angola earlier this month, after the facility was hastily “remodeled” to fulfill President Trump and Governor Landry’s goal of expanding immigrant detention to record-breaking numbers. The detention center is located in Camp J, a prison unit notoriously known as “the dungeon”, previously shut down in 2018 for its cruel confinement conditions. Now, people detained by ICE at Angola are suffering the consequences of living in a prison unit that has been inoperable for more than seven years, lacking many basic dignities that people who are incarcerated are entitled to have.
“Governor Landry declared a so-called ‘state of emergency’ in order to reopen yet another inhumane detention center on Louisiana taxpayers’ dime. But the real emergency is what’s happening inside: people are being denied life-saving medication, and some may die as a result. These hunger strikers are bravely speaking out, risking retaliation from Camp J guards and putting their own lives on the line to ensure those around them receive the medical care they need,” said the Steering Committee of the Southeast Dignity not Detention Coalition.
“We stand with the hunger strikers as they demand basic necessities to which all humans are entitled. Angola not being able to provide necessary medical care, hygiene supplies, and access to other essential services is just another reason why this facility should be shut down,” said Bridget Pranzatelli of the National Immigration Project.
This crisis demands immediate action – most urgently in addressing the demands of those participating in the hunger strike – but also the release of those detained at Camp J and no future transfers to the prison, full public transparency regarding Camp J’s operations, and a thorough investigation into Governor Landry’s misuse of emergency powers.
