Phoenix, AZ – 200 immigrant detainees began a hunger strike on June 13, at the for-profit Eloy Detention Center run by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The hunger strike is in response to two recent deaths of detainees at the hands of guards who are believed to have used excessive force.
Immediately, CCA and federal agents from ICE retaliated by leaving the hunger strikers in the hot sun with temperatures over 100 degrees for six hours without water.
Protesters outside the facility called Emergency Services to prevent dehydration and heat stroke. They arrived four hours into the hunger strike and CCA denied them access to the strikers. CCA and ICE have also threatened the strikers with three months solitary confinement for their participation.
Puente, a Phoenix based immigrant rights organization are calling a press conference and protest at the ICE office here in Phoenix on the morning of June 15. Puente is promoting the demands of the 200 hunger strikers for:
- Independent investigation into the two recent deaths and the ongoing use of excessive force by guards.
- Improved conditions, including adequate medical and mental health care.
- Access to legal resources and court hearings when requested.
- An end to the exploitation of detainees’ work.
- No more criminalization, detention, and deportations.