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The Reality of the BASILE Immigration Center in Louisiana [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-28
In the quiet town of Basile, tucked away in the rural heart of Louisiana, lies a facility few outside the surrounding area have even heard of. The South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, known as BASILE, has been in operation since 2019, occupying the grounds of a former prison. Today, the center—run by the private corporation GEO Group, Inc.—holds more than 700 women who came to the United States seeking refuge from violence, war, and persecution in their home countries.
These women hoped for protection and safety, for a new life in a country that claims to uphold the values of human dignity and freedom. Instead, they found themselves trapped in a system whose cruelty and inhumanity surpass even their worst fears. Life inside BASILE is a daily affront to the very principles of humanism on which the United States has built its image.
Inside the facility, living conditions resemble the harsh realities of centuries past. In overcrowded cells originally designed for far fewer people, up to fifty women are crammed together. In such conditions, even basic daily routines become deeply problematic. Toilets have no privacy—everything must be done in full view of dozens of others. There are only four showers for all of them, making personal hygiene nearly impossible.
Even more troubling are the conditions created by collective punishment: if one detainee breaks a rule—such as being late for roll call or committing a minor infraction—the entire unit is denied outdoor time. This breeds resentment and tension, igniting conflict among the women.
The indoor temperature is artificially maintained at around 60°F,, yet warm clothing and blankets are rarely provided. As a result, many women regularly suffer from hypothermia, colds, and other cold-related illnesses.
The medical care system inside BASILE is virtually nonexistent. Women must submit numerous written requests just to see a doctor, and even then, care is rarely provided—and almost never adequate. They can wait up to seven hours for medical attention under harsh conditions, without food, water, or access to a restroom. Those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or hypertension can go months without receiving necessary treatment.
Access to legal support is severely limited, leaving women in a hopeless legal limbo. Over 70% are forced to represent themselves in court, without understanding the language or the charges brought against them. Legal documents are provided only in English, without translation, and signatures on crucial paperwork are often obtained through pressure or threats.
Psychological pressure from staff is also a daily reality. Complaints about living conditions, racist behavior, or staff misconduct are met with harsh retaliation. Detainees are frequently placed in solitary confinement, where they endure additional humiliation and stress. Racial and ethnic slurs from staff are commonplace.
Contact with the outside world is nearly nonexistent. Calls to family are blocked, and letters or even photos of children sent to detainees are often confiscated and never delivered. Women are especially vulnerable during extreme weather events, when the facility shuts off water, toilets stop functioning, and they are left in total unsanitary conditions, deprived of even the most basic comfort.
Detention at BASILE often stretches on for months, with devastating effects on both physical and mental health. Anxiety disorders, depression, and acts of self-harm have become routine among the women held in these conditions.
Countless complaints to ICE and GEO Group go unanswered, creating a climate of total impunity and silent complicity.
The conditions at BASILE evoke chilling parallels to the forced labor camps of the 20th century—places where human dignity was discarded, and cruelty and suppression were the norm. Such treatment cannot and should not be acceptable in the modern world. I look at the official profiles of GEO Group’s leadership—their LinkedIn pages, listing awards, accomplishments, and business success. I read the corporate slogans about “humanity” and “professionalism.” But the reality inside BASILE is cruelty. It is the commodification of suffering. It is a privatized GULAG.
And the question grows louder: Has the United States—a country that signed the International Convention on Human Rights—withdrawn from it not in law, but in practice? How is this possible in a nation that lectures the world on democracy and humanism?
I call on the international community, journalists, and human rights defenders to personally visit the BASILE immigration center—to witness the reality, to offer an objective assessment of what is happening, and to take all necessary actions to end the violations of human rights and restore the dignity of every woman detained in this facility.
Do not let silence be the shield for violence. This must not be allowed to happen—not in Louisiana. Not in America. Not in 2025.
The fact that these women crossed the border seeking asylum is not a crime. It is not a reason to strip them of dignity, warmth, freedom, or voice. And it is certainly not an excuse to treat them like trash. No one—no government, no corporation, no guard—has the right to treat human beings the way women are being treated in BASILE today.
www.aclu.org/...
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