Beyond the Border: Growing hunger strikes, detained pregnant minors and a 71-year-old great-grandmother released from custody
Here's what happened this week in immigration news.
Written by Jenna Ramiscal, Edited by Kate Morrissey
Welcome to another edition of Beyond the Border, which summarizes immigration news from across the country in a weekly roundup. Did we miss something? Message us via kate@daylightsandiego.org or on Instagram.
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Hunger strikes across the country
L.A. Taco reported that around 500 people are participating in hunger strikes at five immigration detention centers located in New Mexico, California, New Jersey and Texas. The strikes were sparked by Rogelio Bolufe, a Cuban immigrant, who has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since last August.
Guards in New Jersey at Delaney Hall Detention Facility retaliated against participants with pepper spray and batons, according to The Intercept.
Protesters and Congress members are standing in solidarity with detainees in New Jersey, according to ABC News. The outlet reported that ICE officers arrested several people at the protests outside of Delaney Hall Detention Facility. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that the facility isn’t a “Holiday Inn” and that those in custody “can go back to their country and get whatever food they want.”
Family members with loved ones participating in the hunger strike at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California have also sounded the alarm, Memo Torres, a reporter with L.A. Taco, posted on Instagram. Families told him that their loved ones fear being transferred to other facilities after they spoke out to Congress members about the conditions they are facing.
Izzy Ramirez, a reporter with L.A. Taco posted a video on Instagram of DHS officials in California arresting a man participating in a vigil to show solidarity with the strikers.
Denied proper medical care
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing DHS for inhumane conditions and “abhorrent medical care" at the nation’s largest detention facility in Texas, ABC News reported.
KFF Health News and the Associated Press released an investigation detailing how hundreds of detainees in 33 different states are alleging that facilities are not providing adequate medical care.
The Arizona Daily Star reported that ICE uses isolation as a way to respond to those that are experiencing mental health crises, including suicidal ideation.
Pregnant unaccompanied minors also face detention without proper support or treatment, The Guardian reported.
The number of older and medically vulnerable immigrants facing prolonged detention has increased, the Arizona Republic reported. The outlet profiled a 71-year-old great-grandmother who was held in custody for over 10 months.
Federal court updates
There is a growing list of asylum-seekers who were arrested after their hearings that are backing class-action lawsuits that could end the practice, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. These incidents have also sparked at least five federal lawsuits.
A federal judge ruled that DHS has to allow San Diego County health officials to inspect Otay Mesa Detention Center, Courthouse News Service reported.
A small town in Georgia has filed a federal lawsuit to oppose the Trump administration’s plans to turn a local warehouse into a large detention center, The Guardian reported.
Immigration court proceedings
Immigration courts are accelerating deportations, especially for those that don’t have lawyers, LAist reported. The outlet reported that the federal government is scheduling massive hearings with 100 or more people and giving automatic removal orders to those who are late or don’t appear.
Immigration judges are ordering higher bond amounts making it difficult for people in immigration custody to be released, according to reporting from KPBS.
Other stories to watch
LAist profiled a man who voluntarily left the United States so that he could have a chance to return to his 4-year-old son.
The Register-Guard reported that Oregon will stop issuing undercover license plates to ICE.
The Poynter Institute examined the ethical and contextual implications of referring to detention centers as concentration camps.
Customs and Border Protection appointed Rosario Vasquez as chief of Border Patrol, Tucson Sentinel reported. He previously worked for the agency in Yuma and San Diego, the outlet said.
The University of California system shared data collected by automated license plate readers with CBP, The Daily Californian reported.
The Washington Post reported that gamers raised $100,000 to help release an expert Street Fighter player from immigration detention.
Thanks for reading! Take care and stay well.
— Jenna
