The Stream

#Hutto27: Reports of women on hunger strike in US immigration detention

Activists rally behind detainees protesting conditions at facility.

Detained migrant and refugee women are hunger striking inside the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Austin, Texas, according to local activists. In late October, 27 women reportedly launched an indefinite hunger strike to protest conditions at the privately-run facility and demand their release.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have dismissed claims that any detainees have been on hunger strike, despite reports from family members and advocacy groups in the state.
 

Grassroots Leadership, a non-profit organisation advocating for the women, released handwritten letters sent from 18 detainees detailing their experiences at the facility. Some women shared frustration over their lengthy detention and hopes of eventually being released with their children. Most of the women said they fled violence in their home countries and are afraid of being deported.
 

Below are some translated excerpts: