A surprise federal inspection of Louisiana's Winn Correctional Center uncovered a series of disturbing use-of-force incidents and safety violations at one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the country, according to a report from the Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.
Investigators documented multiple cases where officers did not follow proper protocols when handling detainees. In one incident, an officer stabbed a detainee in the thumb with a pen after the detainee refused to move his hand from a door opening. Another officer used a chokehold on a detainee, a tactic that is explicitly prohibited under facility standards. A third incident involved five officers restraining a non-compliant detainee using mechanical restraints and a suicide smock, but the encounter was not properly documented afterward.
The facility held approximately 1,500 ICE detainees at the time of the inspection in early April, making it one of the agency's largest operations. Yet investigators found systemic failures in training oversight and accountability. The facility kept no records tracking which staff members received remedial use-of-force training or faced discipline for policy violations. The inspector general's report warned that this lack of documentation "could lead to staff repeating inappropriate use-of-force tactics that could potentially result in property damage, injury, and death."
Beyond the use-of-force concerns, the inspection revealed deteriorating physical conditions. The kitchen had three active leaks, and the intake building had holes in walls with insulation hanging from the ceiling. Perishable food was not being stored at safe temperatures, and medical staff failed to regularly update the master problems and treatment lists that track detainees' medical needs.
According to the report, roughly half of the violations identified during the inspection remain unresolved. The inspector general stressed that failure to correct these deficiencies "could negatively affect the health, safety, and rights of detainees."
Unannounced inspections serve as a critical check on detention facilities, which typically operate with limited external oversight and restricted public access. This inspection offers a rare documented look at conditions inside one of the nation's largest ICE facilities.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a federal inspector walks in unannounced and finds guards stabbing detainees with pens, you've got a facility that's fundamentally broken."
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