Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
ICE Document Confirms Forced Treatment of 1 Hunger Striker as 7 Detainees Protested in February
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28

ICE Document Confirms Forced Treatment of 1 Hunger Striker as 7 Detainees Protested in February

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28

Summary

  • An ICE Health Service Corps report reviewed by the Guardian shows the Trump administration forcibly treated at least one detained hunger striker in late 2025, using force-feeding, hydration, catheterization or involuntary blood draws.
  • The first-quarter fiscal 2026 document also recorded at least seven detainees on hunger strike in February and projected $168,928.01 in annual external medical-care costs tied to such cases.
  • DHS did not answer questions about what treatment was used or whether more detainees were forcibly treated after February, saying only that detainees receive three meals a day.
  • Advocates say ICE must first obtain a federal court order, but many detainees lack lawyers and the process offers little due process before treatment begins.
  • The disclosure lands after hundreds of detainees staged hunger strikes this summer, including at least 300 at New Jersey's Delaney Hall, reviving scrutiny of force-feeding practices condemned since Trump's first term.

Insights

What happens behind closed doors when hunger-striking detainees face retaliation and forced procedures instead of receiving basic humane care?
How do rapid legal proceedings allow authorities to bypass medical consent and mandate internationally condemned procedures on detainees?