ICE Detention Exposes Children to Harm as Officer Admits to Abusing Detained Mother

A guilty plea from a former officer at a Louisiana ICE detention facility exposes why placing people,  especially those with children,  in these centers is deeply harmful and unsafe. David Courvelle, 56, admitted in federal court to “sexual abuse of a ward or individual in federal custody” after abusing his position at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, a facility run by GEO Group Inc. The case reveals how detention environments create conditions where power, fear, and isolation collide, putting families and children at risk of lasting trauma.

According to court records, Courvelle formed what prosecutors described as a “personal and romantic relationship” with a Nicaraguan detainee held on an immigration matter. Between May and July, he had sexual contact with her multiple times while she was under his custodial supervision. Prosecutors said the encounters occurred inside the detention center, including “in a janitorial closet,” and that Courvelle even arranged for other detainees to serve as “lookouts.”

The harm extends beyond the woman who was directly abused. Prosecutors alleged Courvelle smuggled gifts into the facility, including food, jewelry, letters, and “pictures of the woman’s daughter.” That detail is chilling. It highlights how children, though not physically present, are pulled into the emotional fallout of detention. When a parent is confined in an environment where abuse can occur, children are left carrying fear, confusion, and separation that no child should bear.

On July 16, staff saw Courvelle and the detainee leaving a janitorial closet, leading to his transfer to another housing unit. He later resigned after learning investigators had recordings of phone calls between him and the detainee. During a September interview, Courvelle initially denied the relationship before admitting it, prosecutors said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Johnson detailed how the abuse unfolded under the cover of authority, while U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays noted Courvelle faces up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Despite the severity, Courvelle was released on a $10,000 bond, with sentencing set for April 10.

Link: KPTV