Thursday, March 28, 2024

More than 100 immigrants pepper-sprayed during protest at ICE detention center

More than 100 immigrants being held at an ICE detention center in Louisiana were reportedly pepper-sprayed as they protested in the center’s yard.

The incident at the ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie, La., took place over the weekend, according to BuzzFeed News, which cited a source familiar with the matter. The immigrants being held were demonstrating in the center’s yard when they were pepper-sprayed in an effort to have them disperse, according to the publication.

They were then reportedly taken to a separate part of the facility to decontaminate. The news outlet notes the incident at Pine Prairie comes just days after roughly 30 immigrants were reportedly pepper-sprayed at a separate detention facility in Louisiana, according to Mother Jones.

ICE did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Hill. ICE facilities have come under increased scrutiny in recent months as some lawmakers and immigrant advocates have attacked immigration officials and the Trump administration over what they describe as poor conditions.

Trump administration and immigration officials have defended the conditions of their facilities.

THE HILL