BASILE, La. — A delegation of Democratic lawmakers and members of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) traveled to South Louisiana this week to conduct an oversight visit at two ICE processing centers, where they met with several detainees, including two university students arrested after expressing pro-Palestinian views.
The visit, led by U.S. Representative Troy Carter (D-La.), included Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), and other members of Congress. The delegation also met with ACLU representatives to assess the conditions at the centers in Jena and Basile, which have become central hubs in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) detention system.
Among the detainees the lawmakers met were Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student detained at the Jena facility, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University Ph.D. student held at the Basile center. Both students were arrested in March following their public support for Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Khalil, a green card holder, was detained for participating in protests, while Ozturk, on a student visa, was arrested after publishing an article that criticized Tufts University’s handling of the war.
During the visit, Carter described the detainees as “frightened” and “concerned” about their situation, emphasizing that they simply wished to return home. He also called attention to what he termed an abuse of power by federal authorities under the current administration.
“The detentions of these individuals are deeply troubling,” Carter said. “When you disagree with someone, under our Constitution and our rule of law, it’s not illegal. These arrests are an attack on the right to free speech.”
The lawmakers and ACLU representatives also met with Wendy Brito, a New Orleans mother of three from El Salvador, and Jasmina Lam Hammer, a pregnant woman from New Jersey, both of whom are currently detained at the Basile facility. These individuals, like Khalil and Ozturk, are facing deportation and being held far from their homes and legal support.
Senator Markey, who participated in the visit, strongly condemned the arrests of Khalil and Ozturk, asserting that they violated both the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
“These detentions are not only unconstitutional; they’re a clear attempt to intimidate people from expressing their political views,” Markey said. “The government should be upholding the right to free speech and due process, not undermining it.”
The delegation’s visit highlighted growing concerns about the widespread use of private, for-profit detention centers across Louisiana. These facilities, such as those in Jena and Basile, have become key players in ICE’s detention network. Critics argue that private prisons, driven by profit incentives, are incentivized to detain as many individuals as possible, often in conditions that lack adequate oversight.
Alanah Odoms, the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, echoed these concerns, calling for a national shift away from the private prison industry. “We must divest from the private prison industry that has not only built this state but this nation,” Odoms said. “People should come before prisons.”
Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who was also part of the delegation, delivered a stern message to the administration, accusing it of misusing its power.
“We are here to tell this administration that the abuse of power will not go unchecked,” Pressley said. “We are putting them on notice.”
The lawmakers and ACLU members pledged to take their concerns to Washington, where they plan to engage with Congress and the judicial system to ensure that the Constitution is upheld, and the rights of those detained are protected. They emphasized the need for reform within ICE’s detention practices, particularly in regard to the handling of political expression and detainee conditions.
This visit comes amid increasing scrutiny over the detention of individuals in Louisiana and the broader issue of immigrant detention practices nationwide. While ICE maintains that the detentions are in line with U.S. immigration laws, advocates argue that the arrests of Khalil and Ozturk illustrate the overreach of federal power and the chilling effects on free speech.
As the delegation prepares to take further action in Washington, many are calling for a reevaluation of policies that allow for the detention of individuals based on their political beliefs, particularly in private, for-profit facilities.