More than 60 detainees at immigration processing centers in California launched a hunger strike during the last month in protest of conditions they say are in violation of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) policies.
The hunger strike at Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex facilities is an escalation of a 1 July labor strike, in which 59 people stopped working in protest of the dangerous and neglectful conditions. The hunger strike started on 11 July, but was paused when guards threatened to transfer the detainees to Texas. It was resumed in early August.
“This hunger strike is our way of peacefully protesting the lack of accountability from Ice officials,” said Juan Carlos Corona, a US veteran who has been detained at Mesa Verde for six months. He said the detainees are protesting “the injustice, discrimination and inhumane treatment and living conditions” within the facility.
Both processing centers, Mesa Verde Facility in Bakersfield and Golden State Annex in McFarland, are run by the Geo Corporation and contracted with Ice for up to $1.5bn. The detainees in the two facilities have reported medical neglect, poor food quality that they say has resulted in food poisoning, unavailability of water for up to 12 hours, unpalatable tap water, a working wage of $1 a day and unsanitary conditions that have led to people contracting ringworm from the showers.
“There’s just been violations after violations of Ice’s standards that have put people in their custody at risk,” said Eunice Hernández Chenier, co-director of Pangea Legal Services.
The strike comes after Ice revoked their free phone call program which allowed people to call their loved ones and legal counsel without charge. Now, detainees at the two facilities are demanding six-month case reviews for release, an end to solitary confinement, a raise to minimum wage and restoration of free phone calls. They are also calling on the Geo Group and Ice not to renew their contract this December, when it is up. They say the conditions are worsening since the facilities opened – Mesa Verde in 2015 and Golden State Annex in 2020.
Moises Becerra, the San Francisco field office director, has not responded to several requests from strikers and their community to address their demands.
“Ice and Geo Group … have proven that no positive change is going to last. And that’s why the only real solution is to shut down these detention centers,” Hernández Chenier said.
The Geo Group has denied allegations that they are violating Ice standards. They said that their contracted services are monitored by the federal government to ensure strict compliance with Performance-Based National Detention Standards, which apply to all Ice processing centers. They also said that “participation in the federal government’s work program is voluntary”.
“Geo takes exception to the allegations that have been made regarding the services we provide at Geo-contracted Ice processing centers. We are proud of the role our company has played for close to 40 years to support the interior enforcement mission of Ice,” said a Geo Group spokesperson.
Geo Group, in 2022, was fined $104,510 by California’s division of occupational safety and health for violations of six state health codes related to unsafe conditions perpetuated during the pandemic. The ACLU of northern California and several other immigrant rights groups have also filed several complaints with the US Department of Homeland Security since 2021 for mistreatment of people detained in the Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex facilities.
Dilmer “Loba” Lovos Mendez has been held in the facility for six months and said they have met individuals who have been in processing for over a year – although the law says that Ice can’t hold detainees in their custody longer than six months. The Geo Group says they play no role in decisions related to the assignment, transfer or release of individuals to or from ICE processing centers.
“This facility is exploiting our detainees population and taking advantage of the fact that we’re all here fighting for our immigration status,” said Lovos Mendez.
In the six months that Lovos Mendez has been detained at Golden State Annex, they have experienced shortages and excessive prices on basic hygiene products, medical neglect and unsanitary conditions. On two occasions, they have seen live cockroaches in the food.
“Due to ongoing litigation, we are unable to provide comment,” said an Ice spokesperson.
Detainees’ concerns are often met with retaliation. When Lovos Mendez reported in June that two correctional officers were harassing and misgendering them, Lovos Mendez was put into solitary confinement for nearly a month.
In response to the strike, detainees have reported that Ice and Geo Group officials have been revoking their access to yard time, canceling legal speed-dial pins that allow them to communicate confidentially with legal advocates and failing to provide functioning air conditioning, cool water, or fans during triple-digit heat. Hernández Chenier said she has heard of people who experienced heat exhaustion, possibly heatstroke, during the heatwaves, which was likely related to withholding air conditioning or water at the facilities.
“That’s one of the really egregious ways that Ice not only violates people’s rights, but puts their lives in danger, and also tries to crush any type of resistance when people are trying to assert their rights, or hold them accountable,” Hernández Chenier said.
