More than 100 immigrants were pepper-sprayed at a Louisiana detention center run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend.
The detainees were pepper-sprayed after they protested in the yard of the ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie on Saturday, as first reported by BuzzFeed News.
Bryan Cox, an ICE spokesman, told the Washington Examiner that “ICE is tasked with providing safe and secure detention facilities for individuals in its custody. On Friday evening, at the Pine Prairie facility, a group of ICE detainees refused to depart the outdoor recreation area as directed. Facility staff and ICE officers gave the detainees multiple opportunities to disperse and allow for the restoration of orderly operations.”
“When the ICE detainees refused to comply, facility staff and ICE officers deployed pepper spray to disperse the group,” Cox continued. “Medical staff evaluated all individuals who came in contact with the pepper spray; no detainee or staff injuries were reported.”
It was the second incident at Louisiana detention centers within the last several days. On Friday, guards at the Bossier Parish Medium Security Facility pepper-sprayed 30 immigrants for protesting.
