Dozens of migrants have recently been relocated to a federal detention facility in Louisiana, raising concerns about the conditions and treatment they will face. The transfer occurred from the Pine Prairie processing center in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, to the Winn Correctional Center in rural Winn Parish, approximately 100 miles north. The Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition, an immigrant rights advocacy group, voiced concerns about the already overcrowded and understaffed facility.

Advocates and lawyers, as well as individuals detained at the Winn Correctional Center, have reported unsettling allegations about the center's conditions. According to NBC News, detainees faced undrinkable water, potential solitary confinement, and limited medical access, even in critical situations. With the recent transfers, concerns about the ability of the facility to adequately accommodate and care for the increased population have been heightened.

Tania Wolf, a member of the organizing committee for the Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition, expressed worry about the worsening problems resulting from the higher detainee population. Homero López, the legal director at the nonprofit Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, described the situation as chaotic, highlighting the inadequate staffing levels to meet the needs of the growing number of detainees.

In response to these transfers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated its intentions to "consolidate" the detention population at certain facilities to ensure proper staffing levels. ICE plans to reduce the population at Pine Prairie by transferring detainees to nearby facilities, deporting others, and releasing some on a case-by-case basis. However, ICE did not mention the specific facility to which the detainees would be transferred.

The overcrowding issue at Pine Prairie is being addressed as ICE winds down its use of the facility, which is managed by the private company GEO Secure Services. GEO Secure Services informed the Louisiana Workforce Commission of its intention to lay off 119 employees in early January.

The population at the Winn Correctional Center is continuously growing. The latest data available from ICE shows that, as of the end of November, there were nearly 400 detainees at Pine Prairie and over 1,460 at Winn, more than double the population in September 2022. ICE has not yet responded to inquiries regarding December detainee numbers or the allegations of poor conditions at Winn.

Jose Pedro Velez Bazurto, an Ecuadorian detainee who was recently transferred from Pine Prairie, described the conditions at Winn as significantly worse. He labeled it as a prison and noted that Pine Prairie had been much better. ICE has not yet addressed the allegations of poor conditions at Winn from advocates and Velez Bazurto.

The Winn Correctional Center has been subject to years of complaints about inadequate medical care, unhygienic living conditions, and mistreatment of detainees. Advocates and asylum-seekers have repeatedly brought attention to these ongoing issues, with previous letters and reports highlighting abuses and inhumane treatment at the facility. In December 2021, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties expressed serious concerns for detainee health and safety and recommended the closure or downsizing of the facility until critical concerns were addressed.

Despite ICE's announcement in March 2022 of limiting the use of three facilities, including Winn, the population at the detention center has continued to grow. Advocates are calling for ICE to not renew its contract with LaSalle Corrections, the operator of Winn, which is set to expire in May.

As the transfer of migrants to the troubled Winn Correctional Center raises concerns about their well-being, advocates are striving for improved conditions and increased accountability within the immigration detention system.