U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, is holding 51 of the nation’s most violent and dangerous criminal aliens at Louisiana State Penitentiary—widely known as Angola Prison or “Louisiana Lockup.”
This partnership with the state of Louisiana has added up to 416 beds, allowing ICE to expand detention space for foreign nationals with the most serious criminal convictions. The facility now serves as a high-security holding site for those deemed to pose a significant threat to public safety.
According to a DHS release issued on September 5, the current detainee population includes:
- 26 criminal aliens convicted of murder
- 8 convicted of rape
- 9 convicted of sexual assault of a minor
- 8 convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor
These individuals represent a cross-section of the most egregious offenders encountered by federal authorities. All were identified, arrested, and detained through ICE’s criminal alien operations and enforcement partnerships.
“Murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and child predators. These are the barbaric criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE and being held at Louisiana Lockup,” said a DHS spokesperson. “If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in CECOT, Cornhusker Clink, Speedway Slammer, or Louisiana Lockup. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
The 51 detained individuals hail from over a dozen nations, including Cuba, Vietnam, China, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Laos, Belarus, Russia, India, Venezuela, and Somalia. Many of the charges involved acts of extreme violence, coercion, or sexual abuse of children.
Among those named by DHS:
- Jassin Al-Raash, an Iraqi convicted of rape
- Erick Carlos Artiles Ramos, a Cuban national convicted of homicide
- Yunpeng An, a Chinese national convicted of child exploitation
- Hakim Malak Anyieth, a Sudanese national convicted of strongarm rape
- Ahmed Mohamed Hasim, a Somali national convicted of aggravated child fondling
- Ricardo Blanco Chomat, a Cuban national convicted of murder
- Hong Minh Dang, a Vietnamese national convicted of rape
- Karthickeyan Soundararajan, an Indian national convicted of child sexual exploitation
- Yahor Zalatarou, a Belarusian national convicted of child exploitation
ICE emphasized that all detainees have been lawfully arrested and are being held under federal authority while removal proceedings are pending or underway. Many are expected to be deported upon the conclusion of their immigration cases, pending any appeals or delays through the legal system.
The Louisiana Lockup initiative is part of a broader operational expansion within ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. By placing high-threat individuals in maximum-security facilities, the agency aims to ensure that convicted criminals do not return to American streets or evade accountability through sanctuary policies or procedural delays.
The partnership with the state of Louisiana is one of several ICE has pursued in recent years to increase bed space for criminal aliens. According to ICE leadership, the goal is not only to detain violent offenders but to increase visibility and public transparency about who is being held and why.
“American citizens have a right to know who is in custody and what crimes they’ve committed,” the DHS spokesperson added. “These aren’t individuals who just overstayed a visa or crossed a border illegally. These are hardened criminals—many of whom have taken innocent lives or destroyed the lives of children.”
ICE encourages the public to report known or suspected criminal aliens, gang members, or foreign fugitives unlawfully present in the United States. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the agency’s toll-free tip line or secure online portal.
Additional detainee names, charges, and country of origin can be found in the full DHS list released earlier this week. More removals and transfers to Louisiana Lockup are expected in the coming months.
