Hunger Strikes Spread Across Four States at ICE Detention Facilities
Migrants at ICE facilities in four states launch coordinated hunger strikes, with 300 people participating at a New Jersey detention center alone.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Migrants detained at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities across four states have launched hunger strikes to protest conditions, with the largest ongoing protest involving roughly 300 people at a New Jersey facility.
The most significant demonstration is taking place at the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall facility in Newark, New Jersey, where detainees have initiated both hunger and labor strikes. The protest has sparked daily demonstrations outside the facility, which is owned and operated by the GEO Group under a 15-year contract with ICE.
Multiple Facilities Affected Nationwide
The strikes extend beyond New Jersey to facilities in California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, at least 20 detainees at the 750-bed Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California, began a hunger strike to highlight what they describe as substandard conditions.
The California protesters allege their facility suffers from a lack of medical care, unsafe drinking water, and mold problems, according to reports.
Midwest and Northeast Facilities Join Protests
Last month, hunger strikes erupted at two additional facilities operated by the GEO Group. The 1,800-bed North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, experienced protests among detainees, making it the largest affected facility in the Midwest.
Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, with a capacity of nearly 1,900 people, also saw hunger strikes among ICE detainees. The facility represents the largest detention center in the Northeast region.
Reports indicate that officials at the Pennsylvania facility placed striking detainees in solitary confinement following their protest actions.
Common Operator Across All Facilities
The GEO Group, a private security company, operates all four facilities where the hunger strikes have occurred. The company provides security, maintenance, food and medical care services under contracts with ICE.
The widespread nature of the protests across multiple states suggests coordinated concerns about detention conditions at GEO Group-operated facilities. ICE agents have maintained security presence outside the Newark facility, linking arms as daily protests continue outside Delaney Hall.
The strikes represent one of the most significant coordinated protests by ICE detainees in recent months, spanning facilities from the West Coast to the Northeast and affecting thousands of beds across the federal detention system.
