A group of at least 73 immigrants detained at a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Georgia has launched a hunger strike, protesting prolonged detention and alleged poor conditions inside the centre, according to advocates and family members.The hunger strike began Tuesday at the Folkston D Ray James ICE Processing Center in south-east Georgia, which is operated by private prison company GEO Group under a contract with ICE. The facility, a former state prison, currently houses around 2,200 detainees, according to the latest ICE data cited by the Guardian.The protesters, most of whom are asylum seekers, are demanding their release while their immigration and asylum cases continue through the US court system.
Georgia ICE detainees demand release, family reunification
The protesters published an open letter signed by 45 detained men, some of whom have been held at the facility since October 2023. They have called on Congress, judges, advocacy groups and the public to highlight their cases and urged ICE to release them.The group is also seeking protection from re-detention and deportation, as well as reunification with their families.The letter said many detainees had spent between 16 months and nearly three years in detention despite not being accused of a crime. The signatories said prolonged detention without an individual assessment of whether a person is dangerous or likely to flee raised questions about fairness.“We come from different countries, races, believes [sic], and background, but we share one thing in common,” the detainees said in the letter, adding that they came to the US seeking protection.The hunger strike involves detainees from several countries, including Russia, China, Sudan, Afghanistan, Nepal and others.One of the organisers, Russian asylum seeker Idris Makhmudov, was reportedly placed in solitary confinement this week, according to Monica Whatley of the Campaign to Shut Down the Folkston ICE Processing Center.
Detainees allege poor medical care, moldy food
Two Russian detainees, Alexey Kovalko and Alexander Borovkov, have also released a nine-page report detailing what they described as poor conditions at the facility.Their allegations include inadequate medical and dental care, unhealthy or spoiled food, cramped and noisy living quarters, limited access to sunlight and fresh air, and difficulty communicating with ICE officials.The report also accused some GEO Group employees of hostile and xenophobic behaviour and alleged that detainees were threatened with solitary confinement.A detainee from Yemen who is taking part in the hunger strike is suffering from lung cancer and has a US citizen child, advocates said.GEO Group referred questions about the allegations to ICE. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to detailed requests for comment.The protest is the latest hunger strike at an ICE detention facility since the Trump administration returned to office. Earlier this year, detainees at the GEO Group-operated Delaney Hall facility in New Jersey also staged a hunger strike over detention conditions.