Migrant Detainees in Four States Launch Hunger Strikes Over Conditions

The Story

Hunger strikes have been reported at immigrant detention facilities in at least four states, all operated by the GEO Group under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Detainees and their families allege substandard conditions and abuse, while ICE dismisses the claims as a hoax and says its standards exceed those of most U.S. prisons.

Key Facts

• Hunger strikes have occurred at four ICE facilities: Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey; Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California; North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan; and Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
• All four facilities are operated by the GEO Group under contracts with ICE.
• At Delaney Hall, roughly 300 people are participating in an ongoing hunger and labor strike, and daily protests have been held outside the facility.
• At Desert View Annex, at least 20 detainees launched a hunger strike to call attention to alleged substandard conditions, including a lack of medical care, unsafe drinking water, and mold.
• Families of detainees at Delaney Hall say guards have tear-gassed and beaten their relatives; ICE agents have used pepper spray against protesters, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
• New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherill stated that the state health department was denied full access to inspect Delaney Hall and called for the facility to be shut down.
• ICE issued a statement calling the allegations a “hoax,” asserting that detainees receive three meals daily, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, toiletries, and phone access, and that certified dieticians evaluate meals.
• The GEO Group did not respond to a request for comment from the original source.
• Haddy Gassama of the ACLU described the hunger strikes as a natural consequence of a detention system “really falling apart at its seams.”
• Jasmine Rivera of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition said communication from a detention unit was cut off after a hunger strike began.
• Ruby Robinson of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center called for more state oversight of ICE detention facilities.

Conflicting Reports

Detainees and their families allege substandard conditions, beatings, and tear-gassing by guards. ICE denies these accusations as a “hoax” and states that its detention standards are higher than most U.S. prisons. A state health inspection was reportedly denied full access to Delaney Hall, which an ICE statement did not directly address.

Still Unclear

The exact scope of hunger strikes across all four facilities, whether communication has been cut off at other facilities besides Moshannon Valley, and the full extent of state or federal oversight remains unclear.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Gov. Mikie Sherill (Democrat, New Jersey)
• Gabriela Fuentes (protester, spouse of detainee)
• Haddy Gassama (senior counsel, American Civil Liberties Union)
• Jasmine Rivera (executive director, Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition)
• Ruby Robinson (attorney, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center)
• GEO Group (private security company operating the facilities)
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Sources: stateline.org