Trump Administration Expands Migrant Family Detention at Louisiana Airport
The Trump administration is significantly expanding immigration detention operations at a controversial location within a rural Louisiana airport complex, according to exclusive information obtained by the Guardian. This expansion involves establishing what contractors describe as a "first of its kind" short-term facility specifically designed to hold migrant families and unaccompanied children adjacent to an active runway that has become central to the White House's mass deportation strategy.
New Detention Facility Details
The proposed center, situated inside the Alexandria International Airport complex, will confine family groups and children for periods ranging from three to five days within a converted military barracks before their deportation. This information comes directly from the project's lead contractors, who presented their detailed plan during a sparsely attended airpark commission meeting in February.
Local airport officials have confirmed to the Guardian that a series of lease agreements with the Department of Homeland Security and its contractors are nearing finalization. The site is expected to become operational within 60 to 90 days of these agreements being signed, marking a rapid expansion of detention capabilities at this location.
Controversial Nature of the Facility
According to public presentations, the center will exclusively house individuals who have voluntarily agreed to "self-deport." However, this characterization has been strongly questioned by numerous migrant advocacy and civil liberty organizations, who argue that the compound will function as a detention center in everything but official designation.
The facility will be operated through a partnership involving the non-profit arm of a private corrections company, the LaSalle Family Foundation, and Compass Connections, a Texas-based childcare non-profit with previous experience housing unaccompanied minors. This operational structure has raised additional concerns about transparency and accountability.
Location and Context
The proposed site is positioned directly across the tarmac from an existing short-term adult detention center operated by the private prison company Geo Group. This existing facility was recently the subject of a Guardian investigation that revealed numerous alleged due process violations, medical care issues, abuse allegations, and severely crowded conditions.
During a public hearing on February 26, the local airpark's deputy director, David Broussard, characterized the new family and child facility as a "humanitarian effort" that would maintain a "different feel and vibe from what goes on across the ramp with Geo Group." He actively encouraged the local board of commissioners to approve a comprehensive five-year lease for the project, which includes not only the barracks building but also an office block and ten additional acres of land.
Financial and Legal Framework
The airport authority stands to receive more than $535,000 in annual rent payments, with funding originating from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act championed by the Trump administration. This legislation has designated over $170 billion specifically for immigration enforcement activities. The commissioners voted almost unanimously to approve the proposal, demonstrating strong local support for the project.
Compass Connections president Sonya Thompson described the site as truly innovative while emphasizing that it would provide "wrap-around services" designed to ensure that "as these individuals are spending their last couple of days in the United States, that it is something that they can take back with them."
Environmental and Operational Concerns
An environmental impact assessment conducted for the project identified issues with asbestos and other unspecified concerns, though public comments indicate these problems will be addressed before operations begin. The airpark's executive director, Ralph Hennessy, described the project as a "done deal" when speaking to the Guardian and expressed no concerns about potential reputational issues.
"I have no concerns over what's going to be happening," Hennessy stated. "I'm not losing sleep." He dismissed previous Guardian reporting on detention operations at the Alexandria airport as "full of crap" and rejected concerns about poor medical care and emergency situations including suicide attempts.
Broader Immigration Context
This expansion occurs as the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda has produced unprecedented detention numbers, with more than 68,000 people currently detained nationwide. Simultaneously, the number of voluntary departures has increased significantly, with analysis by CBS News showing that 28% of removal cases in detention ended in voluntary departure during 2025.
Advocates argue that extended detentions and coercive measures have pressured many migrants into agreeing to forgo legal challenges and leave voluntarily. "We've heard story after story of immigrant families who have been really coerced into signing voluntary departure forms," said Kristin Kumpf, coordinator for the National Coalition to End Family and Child Detention.
"Many have not been given options, had access to legal counsel or even seen paperwork in their own language. There are a variety of reasons why people sign these forms, but we have to understand there are many situations where it is not as voluntary as it might be perceived."
Operator Background and Legal History
Government non-profit filings reveal that the LaSalle Family Foundation is operated by the same father and son directors who run LaSalle Corrections, a family-operated private corrections group with prisons and detention centers in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. In October, a federal jury found the company liable for $42.75 million in damages over the 2015 death of an inmate, Erie Moore Sr., who was beaten by guards at a jail in Richwood, Louisiana. This reportedly represents the largest judgment against a private correctional group in U.S. history.
Existing Airport Operations
The Alexandria airport has already become a major hub for Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation and transfer flights, with family groups and unaccompanied minors sometimes held for days in nearby hotels before being placed on deportation jets. The Guardian has previously documented how a mother and her two U.S. citizen children were held secretly in this manner and allegedly blocked from accessing their lawyers before being deported to Honduras.
Advocacy Response
Tania Wolf, southeast advocacy manager for the National Immigration Project, expressed serious concerns that the new center would perpetuate existing due process violations. "It's two buildings that they're trying to renovate, to disappear more families and children under the auspices of a voluntary program," Wolf stated. "They are just trying to put a coat of paint over something that is really foul. This is simply detaining children and families."
Neither Compass Connections nor representatives for the LaSalle Family Foundation responded to multiple interview requests or written questions from the Guardian. The Department of Homeland Security also did not respond to requests for comment regarding the new project, leaving many questions about operational protocols and oversight mechanisms unanswered as construction and preparation move forward.
