Key facts
- Dozens of women at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey have announced a hunger and labor strike.
- Demands include the release of detainees under 21, those with medical conditions, and mothers.
- Detainees are also calling for improved living conditions and faster immigration case processing.
- Advocates claim retaliation by ICE and Geo Group, including canceled visitations and detainee transfers.
- The Department of Homeland Security denies a hunger strike is occurring and states detainees receive adequate care.
- Two 18-year-old women and all pregnant women were released from Delaney Hall.
Dozens of women detained at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey have announced they are participating in a hunger and labor strike, according to advocates. The women, held in unit 1 of the privately run facility, are demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) release individuals under 21, those with medical conditions, and mothers. They also seek improved living conditions and faster processing of their immigration cases.
The Delaney Hall facility, operated by Geo Group, has become a focal point amid the Trump administration's deportation efforts. This follows a similar hunger and labor strike initiated last month by over 300 men at the same facility, which led to protests and a forceful police response.
Advocates, religious leaders, and family members gathered to announce that nearly 40 women had joined the strike, decrying the conditions within the facility. Speakers highlighted demands for basic human rights, including safe living conditions, medical care, legal representation, and protection from abuse.
A letter published by advocacy groups, purportedly from detained women, detailed experiences of illegal detention, verbal abuse, racism, and inadequate medical attention. Advocates also claim that ICE and Geo Group have retaliated against strikers by canceling family visitations, removing communication tablets, and transferring detainees to other facilities.
Amid the strike and protests, two 18-year-old women and all pregnant women detained at Delaney Hall were released. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied that a hunger strike is occurring, stating that all detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, and comprehensive medical care. DHS also encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-deport.
Similar hunger strikes have been reported at other detention centers across the U.S., including facilities in California, Washington state, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, with advocates alleging similar retaliatory actions against striking detainees.