WSJ: Trump plans to send migrants to America’s bloodiest prison

The Trump administration is preparing to detain immigrants at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola—a prison long associated with brutality and extreme conditions—according to individuals familiar with the plan, cited by the Wall Street Journal in its latest report.

The facility, often referred to simply as “Angola,” is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Spanning 18,000 acres and surrounded by farmland, Angola is known for its stark conditions, a violent history, and its notoriety as “the bloodiest prison in America.” It draws tour groups and hosts public prison rodeos where inmates participate in competitive events.

Now, the Trump administration intends to allocate 450 beds at the prison for detained migrants and is expected to formally announce the plan early next month.

Officials who support the move say housing detainees at Angola would save the cost of building new detention facilities, such as Florida’s recently opened “Alligator Alcatraz.” Critics, however, argue the arrangement is deeply inappropriate, warning that placing individuals accused of civil immigration violations alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes raises serious human rights concerns.

Currently, Angola houses roughly 4,300 prisoners, with more than 70% serving life sentences and over 90% convicted of violent offences—figures significantly higher than those at other state or local facilities in Louisiana, according to data from the state’s Department of Corrections.

The penitentiary's controversial legacy stretches back more than a century. As early as the 1880s, the prison faced public outcry over abusive working conditions and frequent inmate deaths, according to the Louisiana Prison Museum & Cultural Centre. One of the most notorious acts of protest occurred in 1951, when dozens of inmates deliberately slashed their own Achilles tendons in protest of prison brutality and forced labour. They became known as the “Heel String Gang.”

By the 1960s and early 1970s, deteriorating conditions and slashed budgets led to a surge in violence within the prison. Stabbings became so common that Angola was widely regarded as the bloodiest prison in the country. Federal courts eventually intervened, mandating a series of reforms following inmate lawsuits over unsafe and inhumane conditions.

The administration’s proposed use of Angola is part of a wider push to expand detention capacity nationwide. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week announced a separate agreement with Indiana to provide 1,000 additional beds for immigration detainees under a program dubbed the “Speedway Slammer.”

President Trump has also floated symbolic proposals that align with his tough-on-crime message. In a Truth Social post in May, he called for the reopening of Alcatraz—the historic island prison off the coast of San Francisco—to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.” That proposal has drawn criticism from city leaders and preservationists who want to maintain Alcatraz as a cultural site and museum. According to the National Park Service, over one million people visit the island each year.

While supporters say the move to use Angola is a pragmatic response to detention capacity limits, opponents argue it represents a dangerous merging of immigration policy with the country’s harshest criminal justice institutions.

The administration has not yet released further details on how the facility will be operated or how detainees will be separated from the general prison population.

By Tamilla Hasanova