As U.S. immigration authorities intensify efforts to target immigrants at universities following pro-Palestinian protests, they have swiftly moved some detainees to out-of-reach facilities in Louisiana. Legal representatives for Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student from Columbia University, who faces potential deportation for his involvement in campus demonstrations, argue that his incarceration in Louisiana is a convoluted attempt to suppress free expression.
Louisiana has become a focal point for immigrant detention efforts during President Donald Trump’s second tenure, housing facilities located far from New Orleans and distancing them from the assistance of rights advocates and legal experts. The escalation of immigrant detention during Trump’s first term leveraged facilities that were repurposed from state prisons and local law enforcement jails. This development came as the state’s prison population decreased following a criminal justice reform, threatening the financial stability of small towns reliant on the operation of these lockups. Rural parishes forged agreements ensuring substantial payments to government bodies, but immigrants expressed concerns over extended detainment, poor treatment, and isolation, with some experiencing solitary confinement leading to death. Today, Louisiana ranks as the second state in the country for immigrant detention by ICE, with approximately 7,000 individuals held in civil detention, as per Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data.
The relocation of Khalil from the New York region to Louisiana complicates his legal pursuit for freedom. Department of Justice attorney August Flentje insists the case be dealt with in Louisiana for “jurisdictional certainty.” A New Jersey judge in Newark, evaluating jurisdictional arguments, is expected to release a written decision soon. Additionally, 30-year-old Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk is detained in Basile, Louisiana, located around 170 miles west of New Orleans. Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student, was detained by immigration officers as she walked in Somerville, Massachusetts, and quickly sent to Louisiana prior to a federal judge mandating her presence in Massachusetts.
Attorneys representing another detained scholar, Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral candidate at the University of Alabama, indicated he might be transferred to an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, a small town remote from major urban centers. Doroudi, 32, was initially kept at the Pickens County Jail in Alabama after immigration agents arrested him at his residence during the night. His detention was prompted by the revocation of his visa in 2023, and his legal team asserts he was not involved in any campus protests. Despite the Department of Homeland Security labeling him a “significant national security threat,” no further details were provided.
With less than 5% of its residents being foreign-born, Louisiana has one of the lowest immigrant populations nationwide, compared to a national average of around 13%. Yet, the pressure of immigration detention reaches a five-year peak amid President Trump’s executive orders calling for massive deportations involving “millions and millions” of individuals, pending more funding for detention facilities. This month saw 47,892 immigrants in ICE custody, a figure not seen since October 2019, as the government also considers using offshore bases such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. Federal prisons are back in use for detaining individuals, reviving methods criticized during Trump’s initial term for mistreatment. Moreover, the administration has resumed family detentions in South Texas, reversing the pause initiated during Biden’s presidency.