Key facts
- DHS watchdog report details use-of-force issues at Louisiana ICE center.
- Staff used a prohibited chokehold on an individual.
- An officer stabbed a detainee in the hand with a pen.
- Safety and sanitation concerns were also identified.
- The Winn Correctional Center is one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the U.S.
A report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General has highlighted significant issues at the Winn Correctional Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Louisiana. The watchdog found multiple use-of-force incidents that did not fully comply with standards. In one instance, an officer used a prohibited chokehold on a detainee. In another, an officer stabbed a detainee with a pen on his thumb after the detainee would not move his hand from a door opening. A third detainee, who was not complying with orders, was bound by five officers with mechanical restraints and a suicide smock, and this incident was not properly documented. Investigators also found that records were not kept on staff who received remedial use-of-force training or were disciplined for policy violations, which the report warned could lead to repeated inappropriate use-of-force tactics. The facility, which held approximately 1,500 detainees in early April, was also found to be unsanitary, with leaks in the kitchen and holes in the intake building. Perishable food was not stored at adequate temperatures, and medical staff failed to regularly update detainee medical records. Roughly half of the violations found by investigators still need to be remedied, and the report warned that non-compliance could negatively affect the health, safety, and rights of detainees.