NextFin news, BATON ROUGE, La. — On Monday, October 6, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in federal court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, accusing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration of unlawfully punishing immigrant detainees at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola.
The lawsuit alleges that ICE is subjecting immigrants to inhumane conditions at the repurposed maximum-security prison, including exposure to foul water, lack of basic necessities such as medical care, toilet paper, hygiene products, and clean drinking water. The ACLU contends that these detainees are being punished for crimes for which they have already served time, violating the Double Jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits being punished twice for the same offense.
The facility, nicknamed "Louisiana Lockup," was reopened last month to house up to 400 immigrant detainees, including some described by officials as the "worst of the worst." The prison, a former slave plantation and the largest maximum-security prison in the nation, has a history of harsh conditions, including solitary confinement practices.
The ACLU's lawsuit also argues that some detainees should be released because the government failed to deport them within six months of a removal order, citing a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that immigration detention should be nonpunitive. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Oscar Hernandez Amaya, a 34-year-old Honduran man who has been in ICE custody for two years and was transferred to Angola from Pennsylvania last month.
Amaya fled Honduras after refusing to participate in violent gang activities and was later convicted of attempted aggravated assault in the U.S., serving over two years in prison before being transferred to ICE custody. An immigration judge granted him protection under the Convention Against Torture, but the government has not deported him to another country.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the reopening of the Angola facility in September 2025, stating it would house the most dangerous criminals in ICE custody and encourage self-deportation. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry defended the facility, asserting that those detained there belong in such a prison due to their violent offenses.
The ACLU claims detainees have engaged in hunger strikes to demand basic necessities and that the facility was not adequately prepared to house them, with reports of mold, dust, and black water from showers. Federal and state officials have dismissed these claims as a "false narrative" and attributed hunger strikes to inaccurate media reporting.
The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration's immigration detention policies, highlighting concerns over indefinite detention without criminal defendant rights and the use of a historically notorious prison to house immigrants. The ACLU's legal director in Louisiana, Nora Ahmed, emphasized that immigration detention cannot be used for punitive purposes.
Requests for comment were sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Governor Landry. The case adds to ongoing debates about immigration enforcement and detainee treatment in the United States.
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