September 15, 2025 – Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the ACLU of Louisiana, and the National Immigration Project today filed multiple complaints on behalf of one woman and three transgender people who were subjected to sexual abuse, harassment, forced labor, retaliation and denial of medical care at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center (SLIPC) in Basile, Louisiana. As outlined in four separate complaints under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and a civil rights complaint submitted to the Department of Homeland Security oversight bodies, including the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the four individuals were repeatedly abused by prison officers and ICE employees between 2023 to 2025. The complaints cite instances of sexual assault, forcible touching, groping, physical abuse, denial of seizure medication, and retaliatory solitary confinement.

The woman, a mother in her thirties named Jane* who suffers from diagnosed epilepsy, was detained in November 2023 and quickly targeted by the then-Assistant Warden of the facility. The warden began stalking her and harassing her with aggressive, inappropriate sexual comments. After months of this harassment, he escalated his attacks, cornering Jane in a warehouse where he forcibly groped her breasts and genitals. From February to May 2024, the warden regularly forced Jane to perform oral sex on him, threatening her life and her family if she refused.

Jane filed multiple Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) complaints, grievances, and verbally reported the abuse to ICE and medical staff at SLIPC. Her reports and pleas for help were systemically buried and ignored. Her seizures became more frequent and intense and her mental health rapidly declined. She was ultimately deported in January 2025.

“When I was in detention, the people who were supposed to be in charge took advantage of their power and used it to abuse me,” said Doe. “The Assistant Warden sexually abused me for months, threatened me and my family, and used his position to protect himself from any accountability. I begged the U.S. government to help me. I filed complaints and grievances. I told ICE officers and medical staff. But they did nothing. I want people to know what happened to me and what continues to happen to people detained in these facilities.”

The three transgender people, Kenia Campos-Flores, Monica Renteria-Gonzalez, and Mario Garcia-Valenzuela, were targeted by the same warden for an unsanctioned “night shift program” wherein they were required to do hard manual labor without any protective equipment. They received $1/day or $5/day to labor in unsafe conditions between the hours of 8pm and 6am. At one point, while stripping floors, the harsh chemicals burned through Renteria-Gonzalez’s fabric shoes and the skin of his feet. The Assistant Warden targeted these people on the basis of their transgender identities, stating “Aren’t you a man? Can’t you do manly work?”

Campos-Flores, Renteria-Gonzalez, and Garcia-Valenzuela were also subjected to sexual harassment and abuse from the Assistant Warden and other SLIPC officers, including repeated comments about their appearance and gender identity. In two separate instances, the Assistant Warden approached Renteria-Gonzalez from behind and forcibly placed his groin directly against Renteria-Gonzalez’s buttocks.

“Regardless of our immigration status, at the end of the day we are human beings and we still have rights and feelings and we still matter, even if we are detained,” said Renteria-Gonzalez. “We want to raise awareness of the fact that this type of abuse does happen inside these detention facilities. Our rights are being violated everyday. This is a privately run facility that profits from our suffering. They are using us to make a profit but denying us medical care, food, even the most basic things like proper clothes and mattresses.”

“Our families and people outside trust that we are cared for in here and taken care of, but the reality is that we are not,” said Garcia-Valenzuela. “Every day, the U.S. government is abusing people in its care. It is even harder on people who identify as transgender because we are singled out and discriminated against. This facility must be closed down. They are incapable of treating us like human beings. The American people need to know what is happening inside these facilities.”

“Everyone deserves to be treated equally and with dignity no matter where they come from, their gender identity, or their immigration status,” said Campos-Flores. “We were clearly targeted for abuse by the Assistant Warden simply because of who we are. Now, we seek accountability to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Like Jane, the people sought help by filing PREA complaints and grievances. Renteria-Gonzalez and Garcia-Valenzuela remain detained at SLIPC.

In response to this pattern of abuse, the participating organizations have called for SLIPC’s closure and the release of all detained individuals, as well as an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and labor exploitation at the facility.

*Name changed for privacy.