Clash Between ICE and ACLU Over Alleged Hunger Strike at Immigration Detention Center
Posted on 04/29/26 at 12:38
- ICE Denies Hunger Strike
- ACLU Demands Independent Investigation
- Allegations of Poor Medical Conditions
While civil rights organizations report a hunger strike at an immigration detention center, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement denies that any such protest exists.
- Why it matters: The contradiction between authorities and human rights advocates revives concerns about detention conditions and access to medical care, central to the ICE hunger strike Michigan detention center debate.
ICE stated that there is no ongoing protest at the North Lake Processing Center.
“There is no hunger strike at the North Lake ICE Processing Center,” the agency said in an email.
ICE Denies Hunger Strike in Michigan
The agency added that even in cases of hunger strikes, detainees are still provided with food and water.
“For the record: During hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day,” the agency stated.
ICE also said that meals are delivered directly to detainees’ rooms, along with sufficient drinking water.
The response was issued after an inquiry from N+ Univision.
ACLU and MIRC Denounce “Inhumane” Conditions
Despite the official stance, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center are calling for an independent investigation.
Both organizations urged Congress to review conditions at the facility.
According to their statement, detainees began a hunger strike on Monday of the previous week.
They claim the protest is in response to poor conditions and lack of adequate medical care.
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They also point to prolonged detention as part of the detainees’ grievances.
The organizations say they have been in contact with multiple detainees reporting similar conditions in immigrant detention centers.
They claim that since the center opened 10 months ago, there have been repeated denials of medical care.
These include delays in urgent treatment and lack of follow-up after hospital visits.
They also report denial of prescribed medications or requirements to pay in order to receive them.
Reports From Detainees and a Death Case
According to the complaint, some detainees have witnessed medical emergencies without immediate response.
They report that seriously ill individuals had to beg for hours for medical assistance.
One case cited is Nenko Stanev Gantchev, 56.
The immigrant died in December while detained at North Lake.
Reports included in the complaint suggest his death may be linked to lack of proper treatment for diabetes.
Detainees have also reported receiving spoiled or insufficient food at immigrant detention centers.
The executive director of ACLU Michigan, Loren Khogali, criticized the conditions at the facility.
She stated that these practices violate constitutional and federal standards.
According to Newsweek, the hunger strike reportedly began the previous week.
The report indicates that some detainees are refusing to eat and to carry out assigned tasks.
The information cites members of the group “No Detention Centers in Michigan.”
The North Lake Processing Center is operated by the private contractor GEO Group under contract with ICE.
It is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the Midwest.
The hunger strike at a Michigan detention center controversy continues to develop as tensions grow between federal authorities and civil rights organizations over the conditions inside the facility.
