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DHS watchdog finds use-of-force issues and safety and sanitation concerns at Louisiana ICE center

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DHS watchdog finds use-of-force issues and safety and sanitation concerns at Louisiana ICE center


A Department of Homeland Security watchdog report revealed that staff members at an ICE detention center in Louisiana used a prohibited chokehold to “gain control” of a person being held there and stabbed another in the hand with a pen when an officer could not close the door to a housing unit.

The newly released findings about Winn Correctional Center in central Louisiana follow the DHS inspector general’s review of video of the use-of-force incidents as part of an unannounced facility inspection. The report, which was published on the DHS website, also noted that the officer who stabbed the detainee with a pen was disciplined.

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Staff members failed to maintain safe and sanitary conditions, the report says, noting leaking vents and ceilings with insulation falling through. Staff members used napkins and Styrofoam containers to collect the water from the leaks, according to the report.

Scrutiny of conditions inside ICE detention centers that house more than 60,000 detainees has been growing.

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Earlier Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended his agency’s detention standards on Capitol Hill amid complaints about ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. That center has been the site of frequent protests.

Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., accused Mullin of leaving detainees without food or medical care.

Mullin rejected the claims. “You can say all you want, but don’t accuse me of something that’s not accurate,” he said.

The inspector general made nine recommendations, ranging from environmental health and safety standards to proper handling of use-of-force incidents and maintaining food service standards.

ICE is working to address all of the issues, including by providing additional staff training, a spokesperson for the agency said.

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“These minor infractions included failing to provide detainees exercise equipment, record keeping errors and leaking vents. Another infraction included providing a shared computer for legal research that would allow other detainees to see other detainees’ case information,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for DHS said the report shows that the facility complies with detention standards.

“ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said.

Winn Correctional is one of the largest ICE detention centers in the country, housing more than 1,500 men. It opened in 1990, and ICE took it over from the state in 2019.

The report was produced after an unannounced inspection by the DHS inspector general, whose office recently got an infusion of $20 million and plans to boost its inspections from four to six per year to potentially as many as 40 to 60.

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ICE lists 70% of the 1,500 detainees at Winn as having “No ICE threat level,” meaning they do not have violent criminal histories.

Winn is an hour north of Alexandria, which is one of four hubs for ICE deportation flights around the country.



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Louisiana insurance officials to announce retirement of Katrina, Rita bonds

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Louisiana insurance officials to announce retirement of Katrina, Rita bonds


METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) – Louisiana insurance officials will hold a press conference Wednesday to acknowledge the retirement of bonds issued after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation leadership will provide an update on the state-backed insurer as hurricane season begins.

The press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Heart of Louisiana: Civilian Conservation Corps

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Heart of Louisiana: Civilian Conservation Corps


CALVIN, La. (WVUE) – A small community in north-central Louisiana is working to preserve an important piece of its history.

During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps put young men to work replanting by hand the state’s only national forest.

The tiny community of Calvin, tucked away in the resulting pine forest, holds only a few other remaining crumbling clues of that work, as Dave McNamara finds in the Heart of Louisiana.

For more, visit the Heart of Louisiana archive here.

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Louisiana drivers soon will say goodbye to inspection stickers

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Louisiana drivers soon will say goodbye to inspection stickers


BATON ROUGE, La. (Gray Louisiana) – Louisiana drivers will soon no longer need annual vehicle safety inspection stickers for most personal vehicles.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 1085 into law Tuesday morning, ending the state’s mandatory vehicle safety inspection sticker program for most personal vehicles. The bill was authored by Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, who has worked for years to pass the change.

The law replaces the current inspection sticker, often called a brake tag, with a $6 QR code sticker tied to the vehicle’s registration.

Gov. Jeff Landry and Rep. Larry Bagley(Office of Governor Jeff Landry)

Fifty-nine of Louisiana’s 64 parishes will abolish the inspection stickers and use QR codes instead. Drivers in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Livingston, Iberville, and Ascension parishes would still need emissions testing under federal law.

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The changes are set to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

There will be a grace period from June 30 until Jan. 1, 2027. During that time, law enforcement will not issue citations for failing to display an inspection sticker.

(KALB)

Supporters of the bill have argued the inspection process is outdated and inconvenient for drivers. Bagley previously said the QR code would include limited vehicle information, such as the VIN, and would be available to law enforcement through special equipment.

The change will not apply to every vehicle. Some commercial vehicles, school buses and certain farm vehicles would still be subject to safety inspections. Some local governments would also still be able to require local inspections.

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