Three men who spoke to members of Congress about a hunger strike at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center have been transferred to solitary confinement in what detainees describe as retaliation. The incident follows a visit by Representatives Judy Chu, Pete Aguilar, and Jimmy Gomez, during which detainees detailed inhumane conditions and their protest. Over two days, facility workers in riot gear removed the three individuals, while two units were placed under lockdown for 24 hours, depriving detainees of basic amenities. Despite threats and isolation, hunger strikers vow to continue their peaceful protest. Federal authorities deny any abuse or hunger strike exists, while the facility's operator, GEO Group, defers to ICE. Families of detainees express profound distress over the treatment.
Three detained men who met this week with members of Congress at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and offered details about an ongoing hunger strike have been transferred to solitary confinement , several detainees told the Southern California News Group .
This move is widely believed to be retaliatory. On Tuesday, approximately thirty facility workers reportedly entered a unit dressed in riot gear, carrying pepper spray, tear gas canisters, and zip ties, according to multiple detained individuals. They removed two people who had spoken to the three-member congressional group the previous day and placed them in solitary confinement.
On Wednesday, the third individual who had spoken to the representatives was allegedly taken from his unit and sent to the solitary housing unit. Two of these men were threatened with transfer to another facility for their involvement in the hunger strike.
One of the men, speaking by phone from solitary confinement, expressed his motivation: "I'm doing this for the people because they treat us like we don't matter, like we're not humans… as if being immigrants was the worst mistake we made. I'm doing this for us… I'm doing this for our respect as human beings and for conditions to get better.
" At least two units within the ICE detention center were placed under lockdown for approximately twenty-four hours starting Tuesday, as reported by four detained men. During this period, detainees in affected areas had no access to commissary, showers, phones, medication, and limited access to water. U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) stated she was "horrified" upon learning about the alleged retaliation faced by the three men she and Representatives Pete Aguilar and Jimmy Gomez visited on Monday.
"The fact that they are being punished for speaking out about these conditions only underscores the cruelty and corrupt management of a facility that is profiting off of their suffering," Chu said. A detained participant in the hunger strike relayed that a facility worker told his unit, "Can you guys do me a favor and stop lying to these Congress people?
" Melissa Shepard, director of legal services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, commented: "It does seem pretty obvious that they were clearly targeted for their participation in talking with the congressional representatives. This is a punishment and used clearly as a deterrent for behaviors that they don't want to tolerate.
" The GEO Group, the private prison company that owns and operates the Adelanto ICE facilities, directed questions about retaliation claims to ICE. ICE, in turn, referred the Southern California News Group to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In a prior statement, DHS officials claimed: "There is no hunger strike at Adelanto, and no one is being abused.
Members of Congress should be looking after the needs of their American citizen constituents rather than creating divisive false media narratives.
" For the family of one detained man, the news of retaliation has been a "nightmare. " The family member, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of further retaliation, said: "It's been horrible. It's been a nightmare… There's nothing you can do from the outside. People shouldn't be treated like this, like we're human beings.
It just makes you feel like we're back in the days of… Hitler time or, you know, slave times.
" The hunger strike began around mid-May with roughly forty participants protesting alleged inhumane treatment. Days later, an additional twenty individuals detained at the nearby Desert View Annex joined the strike. Their demands include adequate medical and mental healthcare, nutritious food, bond reform, accountability for deaths in ICE custody, and the closure of the Adelanto ICE facilities. Despite the alleged retaliation this week, some hunger strikers continue their protest.
One anonymous striker sent a message to a family member: "They try to put fear in us by threatening us with [unintelligible], taking commissary away, etc. But we all pulling strong and day by day we getting more people on board to peacefully protest from inside the facility.
" Representative Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) stated he is actively investigating conditions at Adelanto and the status of the three men placed in solitary after the congressional visit. "I was deeply disturbed to hear reports that the detainees I met with on Monday have allegedly been taken from their cells and placed in solitary confinement. These individuals were already starving themselves in an effort to obtain basic medical care and humane treatment," he said
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