A federal immigrant detention center in Louisiana is facing serious accusations after multiple queer and transgender detainees came forward describing a pattern of forced labor, sexual harassment, intimidation, and medical neglect. The allegations target the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, a privately operated detention center run by GEO Group, one of the largest for-profit prison contractors in the United States.
The claims were filed in a civil rights complaint by a coalition of advocacy groups, including Immigration Equality, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Freedom for Immigrants, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. The complaint includes sworn statements from more than a dozen detainees, many of whom say they were targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Worse Than an Animal”
One of the complainants, Mario Garcia-Valenzuela, a transgender man from Mexico, said he was stripped naked by guards and mocked about his gender identity. According to his testimony, when he attempted to file a grievance, staff members threatened him with solitary confinement.
“I was treated worse than an animal,” Garcia-Valenzuela said. “They laughed at me and told me people like me don’t deserve rights.”
Other detainees echoed similar experiences, recounting repeated verbal harassment, slurs, unwanted sexual comments, and threats from guards. One asylum seeker from Honduras said a male guard propositioned her, telling her she would get better treatment “if she acted like a woman for him.”
Claims of Forced Labor and Retaliation
In addition to harassment, detainees allege they were forced to participate in unpaid or underpaid labor, cleaning housing units, moving heavy supplies, and performing sanitation work. Some said they were paid as little as $1 per day, and those who refused were threatened with punishment.
One detainee reported being forced to clean black mold in shower areas with no protective equipment, while another said she was assigned to lift industrial kitchen equipment despite having a documented spinal injury.
Several detainees told investigators that when they complained or refused unsafe labor, they faced retaliation. Some were placed in prolonged isolation, had their phone access cut off, or were threatened with deportation.
Medical Neglect for LGBTQ+ Detainees
The complaint also accuses the facility of medical discrimination. Multiple detainees said they were denied regular access to HIV medication, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or mental health care.
A transgender woman from El Salvador said staff delayed her hormone therapy for months, causing serious health complications and emotional distress. “They told me being trans is a choice,” she said. “They laughed when I asked for my medication.”
Others said medical requests often went unanswered unless they paid other detainees for help navigating the informal “jail economy” to get medical attention.
Advocates Call for Federal Action
Legal advocates say the accounts point to systemic human rights violations inside the facility.
“This is state-sanctioned violence against LGBTQ+ immigrants,” said Aaron Morris, executive director of Immigration Equality. “These individuals fled persecution in their home countries only to face abuse, coercion, and humiliation at the hands of U.S. immigration authorities.”
Advocacy groups involved in the filing are calling for:
- Immediate removal of LGBTQ+ detainees from the Basile facility
- An independent federal investigation
- Permanent closure of the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center
- Termination of GEO Group’s federal contract
ICE and GEO Group Deny Allegations
In a statement, ICE denied any wrongdoing, claiming it “maintains a zero-tolerance policy for abuse” and is “committed to the safety and dignity of all detainees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
GEO Group dismissed the complaint as “a politically motivated attack,” insisting that its facilities are held to “the highest standard of care.” However, public records show that the Basile facility has faced multiple prior investigations over detainee mistreatment and inadequate medical care.
A Crisis With No Immediate End
Despite the severity of the allegations, detainees named in the complaint remain inside the facility, where advocates warn they face increased retaliation now that the claims have become public.
“These people are terrified,” said Yariel Estrada, a legal coordinator with Freedom for Immigrants. “Some of them survived torture before coming here. ICE promised protection. What they’ve found instead is another nightmare.”
Members of Congress are calling for hearings, and civil rights attorneys are preparing additional legal action. Meanwhile, calls to abolish for-profit immigration detention are growing louder nationwide.
