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Hunger Strikes Spread in Detention Centers Across United States

HeadlineDec 01, 2015

Hunger strikes are spreading across U.S. detention centers. On November 26, more than 100 asylum seekers at three separate facilities launched a hunger strike to demand their immediate release and an end to all deportations and detentions. This week, more than two dozen more asylum seekers joined the growing hunger strike, which is now active at detention centers in Aurora, Colorado; Pearsall, Texas; Gadsden, Alabama; and three California detention centers in Adelanto, Orange and San Diego. Hunger strikers report retaliation by authorities, including being placed in solitary confinement and being transferred to other facilities. One reported being painfully catheterized. To see our interviews with Amalia Leal and Francisca Morales Macías, two women who say they were transferred to a mostly male detention center in retaliation for going on hunger strike, you can go to democracynow.org.

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