ICE Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Detainee in Federal Custody

While the United States immigration system is frequently debated through the lens of policy and borders, a darker narrative often unfolds behind the reinforced walls of its processing centres. A former detention officer recently admitted to being romantically involved with one of the detainees.

The admission of the former ICE officer has pulled back the curtain on a culture where authority is weaponised against the vulnerable, turning a place of supposed oversight into a theatre of abuse. David Courvelle, a 56-year-old former contract detention officer, has pleaded guilty to engaging in a prohibited sexual relationship with a female detainee in a janitor's closet at a federal facility.

A Gross Abuse of Power

David Courvelle, a 56-year-old former contract detention officer, recently entered a guilty plea in federal court following a disturbing investigation into his conduct at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center. Courvelle admitted to engaging in a prohibited sexual relationship with a female detainee from Nicaragua between May and July 2025.

The encounters, which reportedly occurred in a janitor's closet at the Basile facility, involved a gross abuse of the power dynamic inherent in federal detention. According to the prosecutors, Courvelle initially denied the allegations but eventually admitted to the repeated sexual contact.

In addition to sexual abuse, court documents indicate that he smuggled items into the facility, including food, jewellery, and photos of the woman's daughter. Courvelle resigned from his position after learning that the investigators obtained recordings of his phone calls with the detainee.

According to US District Judge Robert Summerhays, the charge carries a 15-year sentence and a fine of up to £185,000 ($250,000). Courvelle was released on 29 December 2025 on a £7,400 ($10,000) bond.

The court has set his sentencing for 10 April, 7News reported.

Not an Isolated Incident

The case against Courvelle is not an isolated incident but rather a symptom of a broader, systemic crisis within the American immigration system. Data indicate that hundreds of immigrants have reported sexual abuse at ICE facilities over the last decade, yet the vast majority of these cases never result in a formal investigation.

Based on the data obtained by Futuro Investigates, between 2015 and 2021, over 300 complaints were filed by immigrants detained at ICE facilities. And more than half of the allegations were directed at detention officers, contractual guards, and ICE employees, including a nurse. At least five claimed that they were threatened with deportation, PBS reported.

One woman from Venezuela claimed that a male nurse sexually assaulted her after she was arrested by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and detained at Stewart. The nurse asked her a few medical questions, and when she told him about her breast surgery, he reportedly asked her to lie down on the examination table. 'He pressed my hand against his penis. When I tried to take my hand away, he began masturbating with it. I was devastated,' Mari, not her real name, said.

A Systemic Crisis

The dangers of the detention system are not limited to sexual violence, as evidenced by a rising number of fatalities in custody. One of the most high-profile and disturbing cases is that of Chaofeng Ge, a 32-year-old Chinese national who died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in August 2025. Ge was found hanging in a shower stall just four days after entering the facility in Pennsylvania. His hands and feet were bound behind his back.

Officials ruled the death a suicide, but his family has filed a lawsuit demanding transparency and the release of withheld records. Several social media users were also not convinced that Ge died by suicide. 'So they're saying somehow he tied his own wrists and ankles and then killed himself? I don't think so,' one commented. Another added, 'No one hogties themselves and "commits suicide."'

Advocacy groups argue that the lack of accountability stems from a culture of silence where detainees fear that reporting abuse will result in retaliation or immediate deportation. This atmosphere allows predatory behaviour to go unchecked, particularly in facilities operated by for-profit contractors like ICE.