DHS Inspector General: Louisiana ICE Facility Staff Used Prohibited Chokehold, Stabbed Detainee with Pen — ICE Concurs with All 9 Recommendations

On June 3-4, 2026, the DHS Office of Inspector General released findings based on its March 2025 inspection of Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana — a LaSalle Corrections-operated facility holding ICE detainees. The OIG found that staff had used a prohibited chokehold on a detainee during a use-of-force incident, and had separately stabbed a different detainee's hand with a pen. Staff also failed to document required medical reviews following use-of-force incidents, refused to provide video footage to OIG inspectors during the inspection itself, and allowed unsanitary conditions including leaking ceiling vents and falling insulation. ICE concurred with all nine OIG recommendations, which included revising use-of-force training requirements and ensuring documentation compliance. Advocates noted that the report arrived one month after ICE shut down its Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) on May 5, 2026 — the only independent oversight body for the 73,000+ detainee system — making OIG inspections one of the remaining external accountability mechanisms. Critics also noted the gap between ICE 'concurring' with recommendations and substantive corrective action: DHS OIG has documented similar violations at Winn and other Louisiana facilities in prior inspections, and Louisiana facilities have faced relatively lower state-level oversight due to state contracting structures that have made Louisiana a preferred location for ICE detention expansion.