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Category
ICE enforcement

Immigration enforcement in New Orleans

tall buildings in baltimore city

Louisiana judge holds ICE official in contempt

Former Maryland acting field office director Vernon Liggins knew he was violating a court order, the court finds.
by Delaney Nolan August 21, 2026 Updated August 22, 2026

ICE field director faces contempt charges after twice disregarding judge’s orders

Louisiana judge will decide Wednesday whether to charge ICE officials with contempt for flouting his orders releasing an unlawfully detained Ethiopian man
by Delaney Nolan August 18, 2026 Updated August 22, 2026

Behind The Lens: ICE detention, court access and federal intervention in Louisiana (Audio)

Reporter Delaney Nolan and editor Katy Reckdahl examine the surge in ICE activity across Louisiana.
by Carolyne Heldman July 17, 2026 Updated July 17, 2026
close up shot of a us flag

Baton Rouge Immigration Court opens to public— and denies it was ever closed

As witnesses from Baton Rouge join a federal lawsuit, a Louisiana immigration judge instructs her staff to allow the public to observe court hearings. Denials were never court policy, she asserts.
by Delaney Nolan and Katy Reckdahl July 10, 2026 Updated July 17, 2026
close up shot of a woman

New immigration rules require almost-unattainable evidence for many abuse survivors  

Advocates say stricter immigration documentation requirements ignore the realities of abuse, prompting concerns that victims will be denied protection.
by Nada Hassanein, Stateline July 9, 2026 Updated July 9, 2026

“Stuck in purgatory”: ICE detention times in Louisiana stretch on for years

The number of people in ICE detention at least a year has spiked five-fold, leading to an unprecedented surge in petitions that ask federal judges to intervene.
by Delaney Nolan June 18, 2026 Updated July 17, 2026
close up of wooden gavel in courtroom

‘Nobody has been as bad as this’

The Baton Rouge Immigration Court has illegally barred all members of the public from individual hearings, a restriction unseen anywhere else in the nation, according to an administrative complaint filed Monday with the DOJ
by Delaney Nolan and Katy Reckdahl June 17, 2026 Updated June 18, 2026

ICE rushes to deport Palestinian grandfather, despite judge’s order to free him

A federal judge in Baton Rouge rebuked the government’s unlawful detention of the infirm 77-year-old. Then ICE seized him again.
by Delaney Nolan, Evelyn Ronan, and Katy Reckdahl June 10, 2026 Updated July 17, 2026

U.S. citizen stopped in Lafayette, shackled, and detained in Louisiana ICE facility

The U.S.-born woman presented ICE and Lafayette sheriff’s deputies with her state-issued ID and Social Security card. ICE detained her anyway.
by Delaney Nolan May 23, 2026 Updated June 12, 2026

After Texas anti-ICE terror conviction, Louisiana can’t afford to stay silent

For federal officials, who have described people killed by ICE as “domestic terrorists,” the recent convictions in Louisiana’s neighboring state are a success — and a model to follow to stifle future opposition to ICE.
by Prairieland Defense Louisiana April 2, 2026 Updated April 2, 2026

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The Lens
The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region. Staunchly defending the public's right to know and deeply committed to sharing our knowledge with the community at large. We center human impact in all our work.
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For more than a decade, we have reported on issues as well as public policy meant to address the needs of residents. The Lens seeks to focus on the inherent inequality that has created a multi-tiered system. We, at The Lens seek to uncover, illuminate, inform and take part in a forward-looking community. Join us.

 
 

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