In this episode of Behind The Lens, reporter Delaney Nolan joins Lens editor Katy Reckdahl to discuss the sharp increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across Louisiana and the mounting legal challenges surrounding prolonged detention and public access to immigration courts.
The number of people held in ICE detention for at least a year has increased five-fold, prompting an unprecedented surge in petitions asking federal judges to intervene. Nolan and Reckdahl examine what is driving the increase, how detainees and their attorneys are responding and why federal courts are becoming a critical battleground.
They also discuss developments in Baton Rouge, where witnesses have joined a federal lawsuit challenging restrictions on public access to immigration hearings. Amid the litigation, a Louisiana immigration judge instructed court staff to allow members of the public to observe proceedings, while maintaining that denying access was never official court policy.
The episode also revisits the case of an infirm 77-year-old man whose detention was sharply criticized by a federal judge in Baton Rouge. After the court ordered his release, ICE detained him again, raising new questions about the agency’s authority, due process and compliance with federal court rulings.
Guests: Delaney Nolan and Katy Reckdahl
Host: Carolyne Heldman
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music this week, “Jack,” by Podington Bear.
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