ICE Force-Fed Hunger Strikers in Detention, Document Shows
A federal document confirms that ICE forcibly fed, hydrated, and catheterized at least one detained immigrant who went on hunger strike. The document — published by ICE's own health agency — is the first official confirmation of forced medical treatment under the current Trump administration. For thousands of people held in immigration detention across the US, it raises urgent questions about safety and legal rights.
The ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) published a document in February 2026 disclosing that an unnamed detainee who began hunger strikes between October and December 2025 "was subject to force feeding, hydration, or forced urinary catheterization, or involuntary blood draws." The document was produced in response to a Senate appropriations committee directive from 2024 requiring ICE to report regularly on hunger strikes. It also noted that at least seven people were on hunger strike in February 2026, and that IHSC budgeted $168,928.01 for hunger strike-related medical care for fiscal year 2026.
Hundreds Went on Strike This Summer
This summer, hundreds of detained immigrants staged hunger strikes at facilities across the country. At Delaney Hall in New Jersey, at least 300 detainees joined a hunger and labor strike from May to June 2026, drawing large crowds of outside protesters. Advocates say the strike ended after detainees faced retaliation. At the Adelanto detention center in California, attorneys with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) reported that hunger strikers were zip-tied, threatened with teargas, and placed in solitary confinement or transferred to other ICE facilities. ICE officials denied that detainees at Adelanto were refusing food and denied any retaliation took place.
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Eunice Cho, an immigrant rights attorney who co-authored a 2021 report on forced treatment in ICE detention, called the IHSC document's disclosure "shocking." Sarah Houston, a managing attorney at ImmDef, said the document is a "blatant admission" that the government knows hunger strikes are happening — which, she argues, also means it knows conditions in detention are severe enough that people are willing to stop eating to draw attention to them. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded only by saying "all detainees are provided with three meals a day" and did not answer questions about whether more forced treatments have occurred since February.
What Forced Treatment Actually Involves
To forcibly treat a hunger striker, ICE must first get an order from a federal judge. According to Cho, these orders are often approved quickly — a "rubber stamp" — because most detained immigrants have no attorney to represent them in those proceedings. Once the order is granted, forced treatment can begin immediately. Force-feeding involves inserting a nasogastric tube through the nostril. The 2021 report documented that this procedure causes gagging and, in rare cases, can perforate vital organs. If the patient resists or is restrained, the tube can be misdirected, causing serious infections. Medical and human rights organizations have described forced feeding as torture. The practice drew international condemnation after it was used on detainees at Guantánamo Bay in the early 2000s.
What to Do
- If you or someone you know is in ICE detention and considering a hunger strike, contact an immigration attorney immediately — legal representation in forced-treatment court proceedings can make a critical difference, since courts often approve ICE's requests when no attorney appears for the detainee.
- Family members of detained immigrants can contact organizations like the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) or local immigrant rights groups to request legal support and document any reports of retaliation or forced medical procedures.
- If you are in removal proceedings (the process where a judge decides whether you will be deported), document all conditions in detention in writing and share them with your attorney — this information may be relevant to your asylum application process or other legal claims.
- Advocates and attorneys can submit complaints about detention conditions to the DHS Office of Inspector General and to the Senate appropriations committee, which has already directed ICE to report on hunger strikes.
What to do, step by step — see our guide “Bond Hearing: How to Get Released”.
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Under current ICE procedures, a federal judge must issue an order before forced medical treatment can begin — but those hearings move fast and detainees almost never have an attorney present, which means the order is rarely contested. If your client is on hunger strike, file an emergency appearance immediately so you can argue against the order or at least place conditions on how treatment is administered. Any evidence of retaliation — solitary confinement, transfer, disciplinary write-ups — should be preserved and raised in immigration court as part of a broader claim about detention conditions. Consult an immigration attorney with detention experience as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ICE force-feed a detained immigrant without their consent?
Yes, but only after getting an order from a federal judge. ICE must go to court first. The problem, according to attorneys, is that most detainees have no lawyer at that hearing, so the judge usually approves the request without hearing the other side.
Is going on a hunger strike legal for detained immigrants?
There is no law that makes hunger striking a crime. However, ICE has disciplined detainees for it — including placing them in solitary confinement or transferring them to other facilities. Attorneys say this kind of retaliation has been documented at multiple detention centers.
Does going on a hunger strike affect my asylum case or removal proceedings?
A hunger strike itself should not affect the legal merits of your asylum application. However, any disciplinary record ICE creates because of the strike could come up in proceedings. An immigration attorney can help you understand how to document detention conditions in a way that may actually support your case.
How can I find out if a detained family member is on a hunger strike or receiving forced treatment?
ICE is not required to notify families about hunger strikes or medical procedures. Your best option is to contact an immigration attorney or a nonprofit legal organization that works with detained immigrants. They can request information and, if needed, file emergency legal motions on your family member's behalf.