What do bucking broncos, alligators, and ICE detention have in common?
According to current plans brewing in Louisiana, apparently more than you’d expect.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—alongside allies in the Trump administration—is reportedly working on a new immigration detention center at Louisiana’s Angola Prison, a place infamous for its brutal history and rowdy inmate rodeo.
Building a Migrant Detention Center Inside a Notorious Maximum-Security Prison
Word is out that Angola State Penitentiary, one of the most feared prisons in the U.S., is being rapidly converted into a holding site for migrants.
Officials are scrambling to get the site ready by September—just in time for Angola’s biggest annual spectacle: the prison rodeo.
Located in a remote spot near the Mississippi border, Angola is surrounded by water on three sides and spans over 18,000 acres.
Once a patchwork of slave plantations, it now holds thousands of inmates, many of them serving life without parole.
With new laws introduced by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, early releases have been cut back drastically, making the prison even more of a permanent lockbox.
The Angola Rodeo: Entertainment or Exploitation?
If you’ve never heard of it, the Angola Prison Rodeo is a real, longstanding event where inmates volunteer to ride bulls, wrestle cows, and dodge angry animals in front of thousands of paying spectators.
The spectacle, advertised as “The Wildest Show in the South,” is sold as both entertainment and rehabilitation.
It includes events like:
- Bareback bronco rides
- Wild cow milking
- Inmate poker where players try to stay seated as a bull is released
- A “charity race” where inmates try not to spill water while being dragged by horses
While participation is technically voluntary and earns inmates a bit of money, critics say it’s little more than a show that profits off incarcerated people risking their lives for applause.
Plans to Detain Migrants in ‘Camp J’: A Troubled Part of Angola
The most controversial part of the plan?
Officials are reportedly looking to reopen Camp J, a shuttered section of Angola that once served as solitary confinement.
It was closed in 2018 for safety reasons, but Governor Landry has now declared a state of emergency—ostensibly to fix up the site and add 400 beds for what he calls “overflow violent offenders.”
Sources suggest those “offenders” might actually be migrants, as the Department of Homeland Security gears up for more detention facilities under Trump’s revived crackdown.
Political Allies Move Fast to Get Angola Ready
Kristi Noem and Governor Landry have a long political history.
He even held the Bible at her DHS swearing-in ceremony.
They’ve joined forces before—most recently in Florida with the launch of “Alligator Alcatraz,” another highly controversial migrant facility constructed quickly under emergency powers.
That project, which converted an Everglades airport into a migrant detention tent city, cost around $450 million annually.
It’s already drawing criticism due to harsh conditions, with detainees reportedly going on hunger strikes in protest.
Now, Noem and Landry are looking to do something similar in Louisiana.
And according to insiders, they’re hoping to unveil the new Angola setup with a splashy launch tied to Landry’s popular September alligator hunt and political fundraiser.
Critics Slam the Plan as a ‘Squid Game’ for Migrants
Understandably, the idea of putting migrants into a prison with a legacy of forced labor, violence, and inmate rodeos has raised serious ethical alarms.
One Louisiana Democrat described the idea as something out of a dystopian show like Squid Game.
“There’s a real concern they might actually involve migrants in the rodeo,” the lawmaker said.
“It sounds like something from an idiocracy universe.”
While DHS officials haven’t confirmed whether migrants will participate in the rodeo events, critics are already mocking the optics and questioning the motives behind the plan.
Fast-Tracked Plans and a Web of Political Connections
Governor Landry’s state of emergency, effective from late July to August 23, allows him to bypass usual procurement and bidding rules, clearing the way for speedy construction and expanded capacity.
Meanwhile, Noem’s team continues to tout facilities like “Alligator Alcatraz” as a blueprint for future state-run ICE sites.
She’s even hinted at upcoming centers in states like Arizona, Nebraska, and Louisiana.
Madison Sheahan, ICE’s deputy director and another longtime Landry ally, once served in his cabinet as Secretary of Wildlife and Fisheries—just another thread in the political web connecting everyone involved.
And Corey Lewandowski—Trump ally and campaign manager—has reportedly been working the sidelines, further fueling speculation about the political motives and potential profiteering behind the projects.
The Bigger Picture: Performance Politics Meets Immigration Policy
For some observers, the whole affair looks like a bizarre blend of political theater, incarceration, and campaign strategy.
One political lobbyist in Baton Rouge quipped: “Noem’s building circus tents and clown shows, Landry’s cheering from the cheap seats, and Corey’s cashing in behind the scenes.”
If this is the Trump administration’s vision for immigration enforcement—combining spectacle, suffering, and state-run shows—critics warn it may backfire in the long run.
“Mass deportation,” one insider told Daily Mail, “could go down as one of the biggest failure scams in U.S. history.”