Women detained at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have joined a hunger strike that has been ongoing for weeks. The women joined the protest on June 11, expanding an earlier hunger and labor strike that began in May and involved more than 300 detainees, according to Truth Out.
The women have released a separate list of demands focused on issues affecting women detainees and are calling for changes inside the facility.
What Are The Women Asking For?
Among their demands are access to safe drinking water, cleaner living spaces and trained medical professionals. They are also asking for the release of girls under 21, mothers and detainees with medical conditions.
The detention center is operated by GEO Group, a private prison company that manages the facility under a contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a video shared from inside the detention center, the women described themselves as mothers, daughters, and sisters and said they were participating in the hunger strike to demand justice.
Reports Of Abuse Have Emerged
The women are also calling for the dismissal of a guard accused of sexually assaulting at least 10 detainees.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that people involved in the hunger strike were beaten, exposed to tear gas and transferred to other ICE detention centers. According to organizers, many of these transfers took place at night after authorities began moving hundreds of detainees out of the facility.
Doctors have raised concerns about the reported use of tear gas, warning that people inside detention centers may not have quick access to clean water, showers or immediate medical treatment after exposure.
Why Is This Protest Important?
The protest has added to ongoing concerns about conditions inside US ICE detention centers. Doctors, advocates and relatives of detainees have raised questions about healthcare, access to basic necessities and the length of time some people spend in detention while waiting for their immigration cases to move forward.
Supporters outside the facility have continued to hold demonstrations in solidarity with the detainees. Although hundreds of people have reportedly been transferred elsewhere, family members and organizers say the hunger strike has not ended and remains active.
