Federal inspector reports chokehold, pen stabbing at ICE facility

A surprise federal inspection found a prohibited chokehold, an officer who stabbed a detainee with a pen, and other issues that threatened health and safety at one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the U.S.

Why it matters: Unannounced inspections are one of the few ways to get a clear look inside the detention facilities, which otherwise have limited access for oversight.

Zoom in: At the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, investigators found multiple use-of-force incidents that "did not fully comply" with standards, according to a report from the Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.

• In one incident, an officer stabbed a detainee with a pen on his thumb after the detainee wouldn't move his hand from a door opening.
• Another officer used a chokehold on a detainee, which is explicitly prohibited.
• Another detainee who wasn't complying with orders was bound by five officers with "mechanical restraints and a suicide smock." The incident was then not properly documented.

Between the lines: Investigators found that there weren't records kept on the staff who received the remedial use-of-force training or who were disciplined for violating policy.

• "This could lead to staff repeating inappropriate use-of-force tactics that could potentially result in property damage, injury, and death," the report said.

Zoom out: The all-male facility held about 1,500 ICE detainees in early April, according to agency records, making it one of the largest in the country. But the facility was found to be unsanitary and in places falling apart by the investigators.

• There were three leaks in the facility's kitchen, and the intake building had holes and insulation hanging from the ceiling.
• Perishable food wasn't being refrigerated or frozen at adequate temperatures.
• Medical staff also failed to regularly update the master problems and treatment lists, which tracks detainees' medical needs.

The bottom line: Roughly half of the violations found by investigators still need to be remedied, according to the report.

• Not complying with the standards "could negatively affect the health, safety, and rights of detainees," the report warned.