Dozens of migrants are on hunger strike at in detention centers near the U.S.-Mexico border amid claims that they have been denied basic human rights.
The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ) said 62 detainees at ICE‘s Golden State Annex and Mesa Verde detention centers in Kern County, California, are taking part in the protest.
One inmate who spoke to Newsweek alleged that the centers “cut corners” in pursuit of profit – a claim vehemently denied by the GEO Group, which runs the sites on behalf of the government.
A spokesperson for the GEO Group told Newsweek, “GEO takes exception to the allegations that have been made regarding the services we provide at GEO-contracted ICE Processing Centers.
“Individuals are provided with access to a cadre of medical professionals such as physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. All individuals at GEO-Contracted ICE Processing Centers are provided with three high-quality daily meals, based on menus that are approved by ICE and by a registered dietician.”
The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ) said 62 detainees across two ICE detention centers in Kern County, California, have gone on hunger strike at the Golden State Annex and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center.
Alex Milan Tracy, Stephan Savoia)/Sipa USA, AP
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refused to address the allegations and told Newsweek, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on ongoing or pending litigation.”
There has been a series of hunger strikes at ICE-run detention.
In July, 59 people started labor strikes at the Golden State Annex and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center.
Further strikes saw 42 people detained at the Golden State Annex go on hunger strike, which several participants continued for 12 days, resuming eating on July 23rd after GEO guards allegedly threatened to transfer them to Texas.
Strikes were relaunched in August with 62 people across both facilities going on hunger strike, which is ongoing with varying numbers of participants, as is the labor strike.
Migrants gather by the border wall in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022,
Christian Chavez/AP
“People should not have to go on hunger strike for the right to eat a piece of fruit or to go to the doctor,” the CCIJ said.
The CCIJ said migrants were being denied outdoor access, and non-food items bought from the commissary were confiscated.
Human rights advocates recorded over 100 standards violations across both detention centers in the first two weeks of August. Violations include not providing detained people with phone calls, failure to provide religious dietary requirements, and poor hygiene conditions.
Prison staff allegedly told the family members of inmates that they could not visit their relatives due to an “incident.”
Detention center staff at Golden State Annex confiscated strikers’ personal property, such as coffee, tea, and electrolytes, according to a report by CCIJ.
Migrants were allegedly segregated from the rest of the population due to their decision to go on strike, a claim strongly denied by the GEO group.
The ongoing strikes have occurred amidst a COVID outbreak inside the Golden State Annex.
Medical staff allegedly refused a COVID-19 test after an outbreak at the Golden State Annex in August. Migrants claim they were told “they don’t do that anymore” and “that’s not necessary.”
Alfredo Parada, a detainee from El Salvador on a hunger strike since August 1, said in a statement that GEO and ICE “run these cruel and inhumane detention centers like prisons with disregard for the wellbeing of the people detained here, some for a prolonged period of time.”
Gustavo Flores Coreas from El Salvador issues a scathing assessment of the GEO Group: “These for-profit detention centers are a hugely lucrative business for companies such as the GEO Group. Their sole focus is around profits, even if they have to cut corners on detention conditions. GEO’s main concern is that these bunk beds are occupied, not the well-being of the individuals occupying the beds.
“In the two and a half years that I have been in one of these detention centers, I think the most shocking and scary thing that I’ve witnessed is that ICE not only allows but condones the multiple and continuous detention violations that GEO imposes on us every day.”
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