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Louisiana panel grants parole to detained noncitizens for transfer to ICE under Act 158
Summary
The Committee on Deportation Eligibility voted unanimously Aug. 27 to grant parole to multiple detained noncitizens for immediate transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Act 158 of the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session, suspending sentences pending deportation and noting that reentry would revoke parole.
BATON ROUGE, La. — The Committee on Deportation Eligibility at the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections voted Aug. 27 to grant parole to multiple detained noncitizens so they can be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation under Act 158 of the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session.
Steve Prater, chairman of the Committee on Deportation Eligibility, told each person considered that the law "created a process for rendering certain detained noncitizens eligible for release exclusively for deportation." He told detainees: "Once deported, you must remain outside The United States with no reentry unless fully compliant with federal immigration law." He also warned that "If you reenter The United States illegally, parole is automatically revoked, and the suspended sentence must be served in full."
The committee heard short statements from several inmates and from family members or friends in support. Supporters described the detainees' family ties and character. "I think he is the type of person that can be rehabilitated," supporter Ryan Curtis said during the hearing for Daniel Alfredo Martinez. In several cases detainees said they had pending or past immigration paperwork or described family hardships; specific immigration outcomes were deferred to federal authorities.
After each hearing the three-member panel — Prater and committee members Danny Barra and Pete Freeman — voted to grant parole to the ICE detainer and transfer the person to federal custody. The panel repeatedly explained that a gubernatorial approval and the involvement of the district attorney are part of the statutory process under Act 158. When the panel approved parole, they said the detainee's state sentence would be suspended and the detainee turned over to ICE for removal proceedings.
The committee held multiple hearings across the morning and late morning at the department headquarters with remote participants at Allen Correctional Center. Inmates who spoke on Aug. 27 included, among others, Juan Pham (DOC 277377), Daniel Alfredo Martinez (DOC 795195), Samuel Lara Garcia, Edwin Augustine (DOC 772628), Hector Cortrera Martinez (DOC 794671), Francisco Lopez Mendoza (DOC 784787), Victor Calle (DOC 707773) and Ervin Adolfo Pineda (DOC 578474). In several cases there were no supporters or opponents present; in others family or friends spoke in support. The committee allowed up to three supporters and three opponents to speak in each case, per the procedure it announced.
Committee members rendered unanimous decisions in the hearings recorded on Aug. 27. After voting, the panel routinely reminded detainees not to return to the United States unlawfully and that an illegal reentry would trigger revocation of parole and require serving the suspended sentence.
The committee did not adjudicate immigration status; it considered and approved parole for transfer to federal custody under the statutory process. Final removal or immigration outcomes are determined by federal immigration authorities and, where required by Act 158, must also involve the governor's and the relevant district attorney's approvals.
The committee concluded its session at about 11:24 a.m.
