Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has gone on the offensive and made it crystal clear to criminal migrants: Louisiana will not be a soft landing for lawbreakers. His office released a hard-hitting, cinematic video pushing the newly opened detention unit at Angola — branded “Louisiana Lockup” or Camp 57 — as the place where violent offenders will be held while federal authorities process removals.
The ad itself is unapologetic and cinematic, full of drone shots, mug shots, barking dogs, and the blunt message that those who commit violent crimes after crossing our border will face consequences. Landry’s clip leans into the blunt warning many in our communities have been demanding, framed to send a message not to hardworking Americans but to the criminals preying on them.
This was not some rogue state stunt — DHS leadership and federal officials made the trip to Angola to stand with Louisiana on expanding detention capacity, and the administration has called the site a necessary tool to deter the “worst of the worst.” Conservatives who care about public safety should applaud cooperation that finally puts violent offenders where they belong while immigration proceedings move forward.
Of course, the predictable chorus of outrage followed: activists and a left-leaning press are wringing their hands over Angola’s history and alleging inhumane conditions, even reporting hunger strikes by some detainees. Those critiques deserve scrutiny, but they cannot be allowed to drown out the fundamental duty of any governor — to protect citizens, keep neighborhoods safe, and remove dangerous illegal aliens from our streets.
Let’s be blunt: open-borders policies invite suffering for Americans and create tragic victims of violent crime, and no one should be surprised when a state with a conservative, law-and-order governor offers the federal government space to hold convicted criminals. Camp 57 holds hundreds of beds and already accepted federal detainees; this is pragmatic governance, not political theater, and it answers the urgent call for consequences after years of permissive policies.
Patriots who love their towns and families should stand with governors who stop the excuses and start securing the border by any lawful means necessary. If the message from Louisiana scares the criminals and saves one child from harm, it will have been worth it — and hardworking Americans should demand the same backbone from leaders in every state.
