N O L A.C O M
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T h u r s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 4, 2025
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‘Louisiana Lockup’ planned at Angola Landry, Trump officials unveil ICE detention center
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy
New Orleans police Officer Bronson Gettridge, left, shakes hands with a National Guard soldier as he distributes lunch contributed by local restaurant Felipe’s Taqueria to those protecting the French Quarter ahead of the Super Bowl in February.
Trump floats sending Guard to patrol N.O.
Flanked by several top leaders of President Donald Trump’s administration, Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday unveiled plans to open a new ICE detention center on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Officials said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility would in the next few months have the capacity to hold over 400 people as state leaders seek to assist in Trump’s nationwide campaign to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations. There were already 51 there as of Wednesday, and 208 would be held there by the middle of the month, they said. “This facility is fulfilling the president’s promise to make America safe again,” Landry said. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, who previously served as Louisiana’s Wildlife and Fisheries secretary, joined Landry at Angola on Wednesday to announce the opening of what they called the “Louisiana Lockup.” The center’s official name is Camp 57 because Landry is the 57th governor, a Landry spokesperson said. Landry said the prison would house “the worst of the worst” ICE detainees, listing a litany of violent crimes he said were committed by “illegal criminal aliens.”
ä See ANGOLA, page 4A
Remarks latest in clashes with majority-Democratic cities
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
Sparking strong local and state reactions, President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that he could send federal agents and National Guard troops to patrol New Orleans, part of a series of intervention threats the president has levied against Democratic-led cities. If the Republican president follows through, it would make New Orleans the first Democratic city in a Republican-led state to become a target of Trump’s widening bid to flex federal power in Democratic enclaves. Crime is on a decline in the city, data shows. “We’re making a determination now: Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to
a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite tough, quite bad,” Trump told reporters while meeting in the Oval Office with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Trump’s remarks were welcomed Wednesday by Landry, a Republican who has intervened in the city’s affairs in varied ways since his 2024 inauguration, including by sending State Police troopers to patrol the city’s streets. “We will take President Trump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport,” Landry, a conservative Trump ally, responded in a post on X.
ä See GUARD, page 4A
“We’re making a determination now: Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite tough, quite bad.” PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
From left, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, Gov. Jeff Landry, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi tour cell blocks Wednesday inside Camp 57 at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
After rocky start, new Superdome Letlow rules out LSU bid member won’t vendor promises improvements House seek to lead college ASM Global replaced Sodexo in July
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
After a rocky preseason debut, the new concessions operator at the Caesars Superdome is promising a better experience for Saints fans as Sunday’s regular season home opener against the Arizona Cardinals nears. Legends Hospitality, which took over the Superdome’s exclusive food and beverage contract in July after Sodexo’s 25-year run,
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faced a wave of complaints during the Saints’ first preseason home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 17. The issues included slow service and poor food quality, and were particularly noticeable in the high-priced suites that ring the Dome, according to people who attended the game — prompting a written apology to suite holders from Legends. “Clearly, we did not meet your expectations yesterday, nor did we come close to the high standards we set for our company,” wrote Legends’ vice president of hospitality Lauren “Fitz” Fitzmor-
ris the day after the Jaguars game. She said Legends wanted to “sincerely apologize” and had learned important lessons from the debacle, promising improvements. Though it was only a preseason outing, the first chance to see the Saints at home under new coach Kellen Moore drew a near-capacity crowd of just over 70,000. Some fans who received catering service in the 165 exclusive suites complained of long delays and poor-quality food.
ä See VENDOR, page 4A
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, on Wednesday ruled out applying to be the next president of LSU, ending widespread speculation just as the search to replace former President William Tate is gearing up. Letlow Scott Ballard, who is chairing the search, said he hopes the university will announce Tate’s replacement before Thanks-
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giving and, addressing a matter of much speculation, said Gov. Jeff Landry hasn’t expressed to him a preference for who that person should be. In her statement, Letlow answered one question about her future but left another unanswered: Will she join the three other Republicans challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, in his campaign for reelection? “For now, I need to stay focused on the 5th” Congressional District, which includes LSU, Letlow told host Brian Haldane on Baton Rouge radio station 107.3. “There’s so much more good work that can be accomplished for the university right here in D.C.”
ä See LETLOW, page 4A
13TH yEAR, NO. 23