Detainees at a Louisiana immigration detention center say they are going hungry on a diet of processed and expired food, reporting small portions, spoiled ingredients, and unpredictable meal times that have left many sick and malnourished, according to a sprawling report from USA Today.
Camila Muñoz, who was detained at the Richwood Correctional Center earlier this year, told the outlet that she still remembers "the sour feeling" after every meal and the hunger that followed. "You have to eat no matter what, or the night is going to get you," she said. "We were really hungry."
Women detained at the facility described meals served with an ice-cream scooper — oatmeal or powdered eggs for breakfast, pasta with canned meat for lunch, and a thin slice of bologna between white bread for dinner. Many said they had not seen fresh fruit in months. To make matter more dire, of the nearly 750 women held there in August, ICE data shows that 97% had no criminal record, as USA Today explains.
LaSalle Corrections, the private company that operates the facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said in a statement that it "strictly adheres to ICE detention standards" and that the facility is subject to oversight by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also told the outler that detainees are "provided with proper meals and potable water."
However, detainees and advocates say conditions have deteriorated as the population in ICE detention centers has grown. Reports include rancid beans, undercooked or frozen meats, and meals served at irregular hours. "Everyone has problems with the restroom — stomach problems," said one woman, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. "It's so scary. I never thought I would feel that — to want to take somebody's food. It's humiliating."
LaSalle recently switched to a lower-cost food distributor, according to federal inspection reports, which coincided with a rise in complaints. A 2024 report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Detention Oversight found Richwood had failed to post menus that met nutritional standards, though later inspections said the issue had been resolved.
The reports from Louisiana come as scrutiny grows over the treatment of immigrants in ICE custody nationwide. On October 7, ICE confirmed that 43-year-old Chinese national Huabing Xie died after suffering a seizure while detained at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in California — the 17th known death in ICE custody this year. The facility, operated by a private contractor, has previously been cited for delayed medical care and staffing shortages.
A separate report released on October 11 by Harvard University and Physicians for Human Rights found that U.S. immigration detention facilities are "systematically torturing" detainees through prolonged solitary confinement — often for weeks at a time. Between April 2024 and August 2025, nearly 14,000 people were placed in isolation, many for minor infractions or as retaliation for protesting conditions.
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