ICE Force-Feeds Hunger Strikers in Detention: What We Know

At least three people in ICE detention were force-fed or subjected to other involuntary medical procedures between 2025 and 2026, a Guardian investigation found. Medical staff inserted feeding tubes through detainees' noses and down their throats, then pumped in nutritional shakes. Doctors and medical ethicists say the procedure causes significant harm to the nose, esophagus, and internal organs. Two more people were probably subjected to the same treatment. Five others ended their hunger strikes at the last minute, as forced procedures were about to begin.

Where it happened — and how

The cases span multiple states. One Kurdish asylum seeker held at the Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, Texas, was force-fed for nearly eight months — from May 2025 until he was deported. A second person at the same facility was subjected to involuntary procedures for nearly six months, between September 2025 and March 2026. A third person at the Krome service processing center in Miami faced forced procedures for nearly three months. In at least five other cases — in Texas, Arizona, and Florida — detainees stopped their hunger strikes just before officials began the forced treatment.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, asked federal judges for emergency court orders allowing guards to physically restrain hunger strikers before the procedures. Judges often granted these orders quickly — sometimes before the detained person could object in court. In six of the cases reviewed by the Guardian, the detainees had no legal representation during those court proceedings. Many were held in solitary confinement during the process. ICE spent — or planned to spend — $168,928.01 in fiscal year 2026 on hunger strike-related equipment and medical supplies, according to an internal ICE document.

ICE officers argued in court filings that the procedures were necessary to prevent detainees from dying. But officials also cited concerns about public perception and said allowing a hunger striker to die could cause "lowered morale" and "acts of detainee violence" among staff. Medical ethicist Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado, said forcing treatment on someone who refuses it is unethical. "People who are on hunger strike do not want to die," Wynia said. "They are using the only tool available to them to protest the circumstances of their confinement." DHS and ICE did not respond to the Guardian's questions.

What to do

• If you or someone you know is in ICE detention and considering a hunger strike, contact an immigration lawyer immediately — detained people are not guaranteed legal representation in forced-procedure court hearings.
• Organizations like the ACLU and immigrant rights groups track ICE detention conditions. Reach out to them if you need help finding legal support for someone in detention.
• If a court order for forced medical procedures has been requested, a lawyer may be able to file an emergency objection — but time is extremely short, so act the same day you learn about it.
• Family members of detained immigrants can request information about their loved one's location through ICE's online detainee locator at ice.gov.

A full breakdown of this topic — in our guide “Bond Hearing: How to Get Released”.