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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Mississippi jail used to hold detained immigrants stays are usually brief before being transferred elsewhere
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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M o n d ay, M a r c h 30, 2026
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HoG DoGs
IN ACTION
Hundreds gather in small Louisiana town to watch Catahoulas corral feral hogs
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ staff writer
After Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian was arrested by federal immigration agents last summer outside her longtime New Orleans home, she spent the night in a jail in Hancock County, Mississippi. The 64-year-old Iranian woman was soon released after public outcry and a nudge from U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the Republican House majority leader from Jefferson. She was one of hundreds of newly detained immigrants in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast to pass through the Mississippi Coast facility. Hancock County’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly transformed the jail near Bay St. Louis into a crucial tool for the federal government as President Donald Trump’s administration deports thousands of immigrants lacking permanent legal status across the country. “It’s a real simple agreement,” Hancock County Sheriff Johnny Alison said. “We have the space.”
BY AIDAN McCAHILL staff writer
ä see DETAINED, page 4A
Pakistan says it will host talks between U.S. and Iran Iran threatens to target U.s. homes
BY MUNIR AHMED, SAMY MAGDY and CARA ANNA Associated Press
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan announced Sunday that it will soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect. “Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi
sTAFF PHoTos By JAVIER GALLEGos
Chelsie Kirby, left, holding Willy, and Kynzie Kirby, holding smokey, hold onto the metal gates of the pen before releasing their dogs, who are barking at a hog during the Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials in Winnfield on March 21. Dogs Gomer and Tag rush past a hog during the Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials in Winnfield on March 21. Winnfield has produced three governors and the world’s largest hog baying competition. Every March, both legacies fill the town at once.
At the edge of a sand arena, two Catahoula leopard dogs hang suspended in midair, legs cartoonishly churning as they’re held by two squatting men. It’s a hot and dusty Saturday afternoon at the Winnfield Fairgrounds in the third week of March. Bees, barefooted children and “hog dog” trainers from as far as France and Australia swarm the surrounding wooden bleachers. A gate swings open and a feral hog trots out. The men let go. The dogs, Goose and Max, hurl themselves with abandon. For four minutes, the barks don’t stop as the canine duo plant themselves within 2 feet of a beast twice their size, attempting to keep it from moving, or at “bay.” “Talk to me baby, talk to me!” yells their owner, Randy Dorrell, a ritualized chant that seems more for him than his dogs. Several times, the hog lunges and bites, but like NFL cornerbacks, Goose and Max flip their hips and retreat to avoid the charge, then resume the doubleteam pressure. When the hog attempts to break the bay, the dogs sink their teeth into the tough skin and briefly hold on. If the hog runs free for too long, or the dogs break eye contact, judges watching from above subtract points. Goose is a seven-time world champion in hog baying and, despite being 9 years old, still has the mix of boldness, athleticism and focus that has kept him at the top of the sport since he was 10 months old. But it’s day six of Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials, and anything short of a perfect score of 10 in this elite atmosphere — even the smallest moments of weakness — means certain elimination. Finally, the hog strikes Goose in the side and takes him to the ground. For a brief moment, the Catahoula loses eye contact. He’s dinged 0.1 point, and Dorrell, throwing a fistful of sand in frustration, decides to call it off. The old champion was hurt but not injured, Dorrell said after. Better
ä see HOG DOGS, page 6A
ä see TALKS, page 4A
WEATHER HIGH 82 LOW 66 PAGE 12A
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