Hunger Strikes Spread Across ICE Detention Facilities in Four States
Why It Matters
Hunger strikes at multiple immigration detention facilities across the United States are drawing renewed scrutiny to conditions inside privately operated facilities holding thousands of detainees. The protests span facilities in New Jersey, California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, raising questions about oversight, accountability, and the rapid expansion of the federal detention system.
What Happened
Detainees at four ICE-contracted facilities have launched hunger strikes in recent weeks, citing allegations of substandard living conditions, inadequate medical care, and mistreatment by guards. All four facilities are operated by the GEO Group, a private security and detention management company.
The largest ongoing action is at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility in Newark, New Jersey, where roughly 300 detainees are reportedly participating in both a hunger strike and a labor strike. The situation has prompted daily protests outside the facility. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherill, a Democrat, said the state Department of Health attempted a health inspection of the facility but was denied full access.
“Refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view,” Sherill said in a statement, calling for the facility to be shut down.
At the Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California — a 750-bed facility — at least 20 detainees initiated a hunger strike to protest conditions they allege include a lack of adequate medical care, unsafe drinking water, and mold. Separate strikes erupted last month at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, and the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
Family members of detainees at Delaney Hall have alleged that guards used tear gas and physical force against those held inside. Outside the facility, ICE agents deployed pepper spray against protesters gathered near the entrance.
By the Numbers
- ~300 detainees participating in the hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall in Newark, N.J.
- 1,000 beds at Delaney Hall; 750 beds at Desert View Annex in Adelanto, Calif.
- 1,800 beds at North Lake Processing Center in Michigan — the largest ICE detention facility in the Midwest
- ~1,900-bed capacity at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania — the largest in the Northeast
- GEO Group operates Delaney Hall under a 15-year contract with ICE
Competing Claims
ICE issued a formal statement rejecting the allegations, calling claims of substandard conditions a “hoax.” The agency said detainees receive three meals per day, clean water, clothing, and access to phones and legal counsel, and that certified dietitians evaluate meals. ICE stated its detention standards exceed those of most U.S. prisons.
The GEO Group said its services are subject to ongoing monitoring by ICE personnel and other Department of Homeland Security components to ensure compliance with detention standards and contract requirements.
Gabriela Fuentes, 35, whose husband is detained at Delaney Hall, said he told her guards had beaten and tear-gassed detainees. “We’re all human, we’re all people,” she said. “Just because we’re Hispanic does not mean we need to be treated like this.”
Zoom Out
The strikes coincide with a significant expansion of the federal immigration detention system under the Trump administration, which has moved to increase both the number of detention beds and the pace of deportations. Advocates and legal organizations argue the rapid scaling of the system has outpaced oversight capacity.
Haddy Gassama, senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said hunger strikes reflect conditions in a detention system expanded too quickly with insufficient accountability. Ruby Robinson, an attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, called for greater state oversight of ICE facilities, noting that detainees held in county jails fall under state law — and that those laws may need updating to reflect current conditions.
Jasmine Rivera, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, said communication blackouts during strikes have made it difficult for families and advocates to track what is happening inside the facilities.
What’s Next
New Jersey officials are pressing for full inspection access to Delaney Hall. Legal advocates in Michigan are pushing for expanded state oversight authority. Congressional visits have been cited as among the few external oversight mechanisms currently available. Whether federal agencies will respond to the growing pressure — or whether state governments will pursue additional inspection or regulatory authority — remains to be determined in the coming weeks.