From plantation to prison to immigration detention center

Angola adds a grim chapter to its dark history →

Pamela, A dark history of slavery, racial violence, and cruelty is repeating itself at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola. The facility sits on the site of a former slave plantation and is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It holds roughly 5,000 people, nearly all Black men, who endure forced labor, brutal conditions, and medical neglect. Last July, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry quietly used a declaration of emergency to reopen a notorious housing unit at Angola for immigration detention.    Built in the 1970s, the Camp J unit became known as "the dungeon" for its use of extreme solitary confinement, where people were held in small, sweltering cells with little to no human contact. It was finally closed in 2018 due to its inhumane conditions—until now. Under Governor Landry, Louisiana has become a national hub for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. The state has the second-highest ICE detention population in the country, with 8,207 people currently detained. It is also where private prison companies go to profit from mass incarceration and unnecessary detention.  Pamela, state-sanctioned cruelty is happening before our eyes. Reopening Camp J fuses the worst of the incarceration system with the injustices of the immigration system. We cannot continue to watch and let this cycle of abuse persist. Thank you for being with us as we fight for justice.  In solidarity, Vera Institute of Justice © 2026 Vera Institute of Justice. All Rights Reserved.   Vera Institute of Justice 34 35th Street | Suite 4-2A | Brooklyn, NY 11232 (212) 334-1300   Privacy Statement | unsubscribe

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