Liberty Law Group, LLC
Picture
  • Home
  • PRACTICE AREAS
    • Immigration Bonds
    • Asylum
    • Deportation defense >
      • Immigration Appeals
    • Green Cards
    • Nonimmigrant Visas >
      • E2 Visas
      • H-2A Visas
      • H-2B Visas
      • K-1 Visas
    • Civil Litigation
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Immigration Courts and Detention Centers
    • Adams County Correctional Center
    • Houston Processing Center
    • Richwood Correctional Center
    • South Louisiana Correctional Center
    • River Correctional Center
    • Jackson Parish Correctional Center
    • Winn Correctional Center
    • Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center
    • Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center
    • Lasalle Immigration Court
    • Oakdale Immigration Court
    • New Orleans Immigration Court
    • Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility
  • Locations
    • Liberty Law Group Shreveport Office
    • Liberty Law Group Alexandria Office
    • Monroe Service Location

10/10/2019

The Winn Correctional Center: A Microcosm of DHS’s Expanded Removal Operations in Louisiana

16 Comments

Read Now
 
Situated about 15 miles outside of the small town of Winnfield, Louisiana lies the Winn Correctional Center - DHS’s newest and latest detention facility in Louisiana. Actually, this facility does not belong to DHS at all, but rather the Louisiana Department of Corrections. Just a few short months ago this facility housed approximately one thousand six hundred state inmates but ever since the United States Department of Homeland Security entered into a contract with the state of Louisiana for immigrant detainees to be housed at this facility, the Louisiana Department of Corrections has quickly moved these 1,600 inmates to other facilities across the state of Louisiana and replaced each and every one of them with DHS immigrant detainees. As of the time this article was published, the facility has almost maxed out its capacity with immigrant detainees.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (the immigration court system) has seriously undermined the due process rights of immigrants detained at this facility by holding many immigrants at this facility for months at a time before they are even scheduled to appear for their very first master calendar hearing. For example, Louisiana immigration attorneys at Liberty Law Group have had one client housed at the Winn Correctional Center for approximately four months before their client was required to appear for his very first master calendar hearing. This particular individual is expected to remain at the Winn Correctional Center for at least another two months before a federal immigration judge will have an opportunity to hear the merits of his asylum claim.

In addition to the length of time these individuals have to wait for their first hearing, the manner in which these hearings are conducted also seriously undermines these individuals’ due process rights. You see, not one of these immigrants will ever get to personally sit in front of an immigration judge or government ICE attorney to plead their case as the immigration judges are located almost 1,000 miles away in Chaparral, New Mexico and the government prosecutors are located in El Paso, Texas. This requires the immigration judge to make credibility determinations via video telephone conference – an impossible task.  

These days due process is not high on DHS’s priority list. It’s all about efficiency and sending as many asylum seekers home as quickly as possible while pretending to uphold the rule of law. Even though many of the individuals housed at this facility are eligible for bond, the vast majority of bond applications will be categorically denied because the immigration judges will simply deem these individuals as a “flight risk” if they are released, irrespective of whether the judge could issue a bond high enough to force these individuals to appear for all scheduled immigration hearings.

You can’t really blame the state of Louisiana for signing up for this. After all, they are making approximately $49 more per day, per individual than they were making with DOC inmates. This figure adds up to a whopping $28,616,000 per year. With the state of Louisiana always having serious deficit issues within its own government, it only makes sense for it to do everything it can to bring more money into the fold, but it does so at the expense of each and every one of the immigrant detainees housed at the Winn Correctional Center.

Another issue effecting the due process rights of these immigrant detainees is the simple fact that there are very few immigration attorneys within the area to assist them. Attorneys at Liberty Law Group and a handful of other individuals have offices in Alexandria, Louisiana, but even that still requires a drive of an hour and fifteen minutes to reach this facility. Even though the immigration judges usually allow for attorney appearance by telephone conference, this only further undermines the process as it is very difficult for an attorney to give his client 100% commitment if the attorney appears for the hearing by telephone.

Sadly, there are many problems but very few answers. With so many individuals trying to enter the country to apply for asylum, the government almost has no choice to but to set up an inefficiently run immigration court system like the one in the Winn Correctional Center. A first step would be for the immigration judges across the country to start treating individuals housed at facilities like this one as people and not simply as people to be process on a factory production line.

So many asylum seekers who enter the country and get placed in these facilities have an amazing story to tell – a beautiful but sad journey that most often has a tragic ending. If we can find it within ourselves to listen to their stories and understand where they are coming from and what they are running from, maybe…just maybe we can regain the humanity that our nation lost years ago.
​
Christopher Kinnison, the author of this article, is the owner of Liberty Law Group, LLC – a Louisiana full service immigration firm that specializes in handling detained cases at detention centers all throughout the state of Louisiana, including the ICE detention center at the Winn Correctional Center.

Share

16 Comments
SAP Globe link
5/12/2023 09:32:40 am

Enjoyed reading the article above , really explains everything in detail, the article is very interesting and effective. Thank you and good luck in the upcoming articles

Reply
Ravi link
5/12/2023 09:33:15 am

Thanks for sharing such a great information.. It really helpful to me..I always search to read the quality content and finally i found this in you post. keep it up!

Reply
Cody Silvia link
5/12/2023 02:44:16 pm

A first step would be for the immigration judges across the country to start treating individuals housed at facilities like this one as people. Thank you, amazing post!

Reply
Daniel Staples link
6/22/2023 04:54:19 pm

The territory of Louisiana and supplanted all of them with Dhs settler prisoners. As of the time this article was distributed, the office has nearly maximized its ability with worker prisoners.

Reply
Building Supply Depo link
7/13/2023 09:48:02 am

Add character to your kitchen design with a wide range of kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Find colors and styles to perfectly suit your taste!

Reply
deptford care center link
7/13/2023 09:54:22 am

We are renowned for providing our patients with the most reasonably priced, painless medical care they have loved for years. Whether it’s a sports physical, routine physical, teen depression screening, or something else entirely, we guarantee the best assistance in a friendly setting. We have developed relationships with thousands of clients for both primary consultations and procedures.

Reply
cell fix near me link
7/13/2023 10:22:52 am

Sharing your cell phones can be risky. But with I-Cell Station's trustworthy services, we promise to keep your data stored, saved, and untouched for whatever kind of repairs we offer.

Reply
auto body shop link
7/13/2023 10:25:49 am

A blog is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries. Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent post appears first, at the top of the web page

Reply
karachi defence houses for sale link
7/13/2023 10:28:54 am

Constructing a house in DHA (Defence Housing Authority) Karachi is a popular dream for many residents, as this well-planned area offers numerous facilities and modern amenities.

Reply
small business marketing agency link
7/13/2023 10:32:51 am

Digital Marketing USA, a digital marketing agency in USA, provides effective marketing solutions to get more sales from digital media channels.

Reply
wordpress website price in dubai link
7/13/2023 10:35:44 am

We deliver big ideas and even bigger results with more agility and efficiency than larger digital agencies. We succeed because we are good, not because we are big. We care deeply about the needs of our clients and put our hearts and creative minds to work to create something that will be of immense value.

Reply
facebook lead ads mailchimp link
7/13/2023 10:38:56 am

Hence, people miss out on the most essential part of the sales process. Do not under-perform here because that means your overall sales and your business will suffer. Automate the process using Leads Notify!

Reply
online marketing agency link
7/13/2023 10:41:44 am

E-Biz, a leading digital marketing agency, commenced its journey in Ireland as a Printing & Packaging company catering to the needs of small to medium-sized businesses.

Reply
Healthcare for UK Citizens link
7/13/2023 10:44:44 am

We aim to work in partnership with our clients and build a good working relationship to meet their expectations and requirements of organisations.

Reply
seo for dentists link
7/13/2023 10:47:01 am

Our team has experience bringing in both e-commerce sales as well as service leads. With clients across five continents within two years of launch, our results speak for themselves.

Reply
Men Slim Fit Red Leather Jacket link
7/14/2023 10:47:08 am

A leather bomber jacket is a classic that will never go out of style. When it comes to making a statement, a bomber jacket is at the top of our list.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author

    Chris lives in Alexandria, Louisiana where he enjoys playing with his girls and being the best husband he can possibly be. 

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Alexandria Office
4011 Parliament Drive
Alexandria, Louisiana 71303
(318) 321-2460
[email protected]

Shreveport Office
331 Milam Street
​Suite 200
Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
​(318) 383-2825

What Our Clients Are Saying

"Such a Wonderful Human!
I was in deportation process for seven years; my deportation/asylum court hearing was postponed several times. At this point, I contacted Chris. I told him my personal story- I was tortured in Syria and seeked asylum in the US. When I arrived in the US, I was detained for 48 days in Houston once I arrived. Chris was so moved by my experience, that offered to take my case for free! Chris gathered all the necessary documents from me and went through great efforts on my behalf. He looked up related events and updated my whole case. The night before my deportation/asylum hearing, we went over the entire folder as well as about 100 questions he had previously prepared. The hearing was initially estimated to last for about an hour by my previous Pro Bono attorney; in reality, the hearing lasted 3 hours. Chris asked me all the questions he had prepared to demonstrate the truth about my story. The prosecutor ended up having only a couple of questions; Chris interfered to explain her questions to me and make my answers more to the point and more helpful to my case. Chris had to undergo surgery a few days before the hearing and yet, he drove all the way to Houston, carried the entire 12 inch thick folder for about a 15 minutes walk, and didn’t tell me about this until the break in the middle of the hearing. His confidence before the hearing, as well as during, was unparalleled and impressive! He connected on a personal level and knew what to ask and how to tackle the case and he just did. Thanks to Chris, I am an asylee. I am not in immigration-status limbo anymore; I am able to thrive and continue my career as a pathologist in the US thanks to Chris. I am eternally thankful and grateful to him for his dedication, compassion, knowledge, and his kindness!"

Contact Us
​Se Habla Espanol

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
Louisiana Immigration Lawyer
Louisiana Immigration Attorney
Immigration Attorney Louisiana
Immigration Lawyer Louisiana
Immigration Attorney in Louisiana
Immigration Lawyer in Louisiana
Shreveport Immigration Attorney
Shreveport Immigration Lawyer
Alexandria Louisiana Immigration Lawyer
Alexandria Louisiana Immigration Attorney

  • Home
  • PRACTICE AREAS
    • Immigration Bonds
    • Asylum
    • Deportation defense >
      • Immigration Appeals
    • Green Cards
    • Nonimmigrant Visas >
      • E2 Visas
      • H-2A Visas
      • H-2B Visas
      • K-1 Visas
    • Civil Litigation
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Immigration Courts and Detention Centers
    • Adams County Correctional Center
    • Houston Processing Center
    • Richwood Correctional Center
    • South Louisiana Correctional Center
    • River Correctional Center
    • Jackson Parish Correctional Center
    • Winn Correctional Center
    • Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center
    • Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center
    • Lasalle Immigration Court
    • Oakdale Immigration Court
    • New Orleans Immigration Court
    • Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility
  • Locations
    • Liberty Law Group Shreveport Office
    • Liberty Law Group Alexandria Office
    • Monroe Service Location