US immigration officials force-feeding detainees
Nearly 30 migrants from India and Cuba are refusing to eat in protest at alleged mistreatment
Undocumented immigrants are being force-fed through plastic nasal tubes after going on hunger strike at a detention facility in Texas, the US authorities have confirmed.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official said that 11 detainees at the El Paso Processing Center have been refusing food, some for more than 30 days. Another four detainees are on hunger strike in Miami, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco, the border force added.
However, it has been claimed that the number of people taking part in the strike is actually almost double that claimed by the authorities.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Detained immigrants, a relative and a lawyer representing hunger strikers told the Associated Press that a total of nearly 30 people, most of them from India and Cuba, have been refusing to eat at the Texas facility. Some are said to be so weak that they cannot stand up or talk.
“They are not well. Their bodies are really weak, they can’t talk and they have been hospitalised, back and forth,” said Amrit Singh, uncle of two men from India have been on hunger strike.
“They want to know why they are still in the jail and want to get their rights and wake up the government immigration system.”
The immigrants stopped eating in protest against threats of deportation and alleged verbal abuse from guards, as well as lengthy lock-ups while awaiting legal proceedings.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson did not comment on the allegations of abuse but said that the El Paso processing centre would follow the federal standards for care.
A federal judge authorised force-feeding of some El Paso detainees in mid-January, two weeks into the hunger strike, the spokesperson added.
Force-feeding “can be very painful and has been condemned by both the American Medical Association and the World Medical Association”, says news site The Daily Beast.
“It is very alarming, it is very concerning,” Liz Martinez of Freedom for Immigrants, a group that opposes immigration detention, told The Guardian.
The organisation first learned about the force-feedings through an affiliate group that has visitation rights at the El Paso facility.
“When people go on a hunger strike, it’s their last resort,” said Martinez.
“By starving themselves, these individuals really want the public to know the suffering they are facing in ICE detention and draw attention to it, especially because ICE is a place where they don’t really want information to be released.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Vietnamese migrants crossing the Channel
The Explainer 2024 has seen a surge in the numbers of Vietnamese migrants making the illegal passage into the UK
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How to make the most of your leftover pumpkins
The Week Recommends As the Halloween fun wraps up, snap up pumpkins still on sale and don't leave your jack-o-lanterns to rot
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
How Harris and Trump differ on education
The Explainer Trump wants to disband the Department of Education. Harris wants to boost teacher pay.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published