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West Baton Rouge Parish President denies reports of potential ICE detention center in Port Allen
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PORT ALLEN — The West Baton Rouge Parish government says it has not received a formal request or proposal from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a potential ICE detention center coming to the parish, following a Washington Post report claiming multiple such facilities were coming to Louisiana.
Parish President Jason Manola said that "any project of this nature would require appropriate review, transparency and coordination with local officials and the community."
"At this time, the Parish has not received any formal proposal, request, or notification from ICE or any federal agency regarding the development of a detention or processing facility within West Baton Rouge Parish," a news release from the parish said.
The Post article from December said that Port Allen and Hammond were being scoped as locations for a potential detention center as the Trump administration continues its widespread immigration crackdown. The Post reported that ICE intended to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouse facilities across the country.
"The comment that I got back from the U.S. ICE official that I was speaking to. He clearly stated there has not been any purchased property in West Baton Rouge parish, and he said, 'And (none) actually in Louisiana at this time,'" Manola added.
According to the American Immigration Council, when President Donald Trump took office, ICE was holding roughly 40,000 people in a national network of detention centers on any given day. This number increased by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people being held in detention as of mid-January.
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