Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A federal judge has rejected a Trump administration bid to move Mahmoud Khalil’s legal case to Louisiana.

Amid calls from President Donald Trump for a nationwide immigration crackdown and an end to so-called “sanctuary” policies, at least two Louisiana law enforcement agencies have recently joined forces with federal immigration authorities, enlisting local officers to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in their custody.

Since last week, Khalil — a Syrian-born Palestinian and permanent U.S. resident— has been locked up in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a privately-run immigration lockup with an average daily detainee population of nearly 1,200.

Khalil is being held at an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, according to the agency’s detainee tracker.

ACLU of Louisiana Legal Director Nora Ahmed discusses her group's work to educate people from immigrant communities about their rights during a confusing time.

The ACLU of Louisiana says that case law shows ruses potentially violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing the federal government to keep people at two detention facilities in Louisiana locked up beyond the period they can be held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody because some detainees might have been exposed to a rare form of tuberculosis.

Non-English-speaking immigrants detained in Louisiana are being denied access to translation and interpretation services, leaving them unable to request medical care or file complaints about abusive treatment immigrants’ rights advocates say.

Immigration attorneys and advocates say audio of the Louisiana ICE facility staff’s response to a seizure a detainee suffered underscores alleged negligence.

Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's virtual listening session for Bobbi-Jeanne Misick's series on the experiences of Cameroonian asylum seekers.