Five detainees who took part in a hunger strike at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash., have been deported, according to their supporters. Hundreds of people held at the privately-run detention center took part in the protest over conditions and low-pay. In response, several detainees were placed in solitary confinement. As FSRN’s Shannon Young reports, advocates for the detainees say that Monday’s deportation was further retaliation for the protest.
The Geo Group operated facility in Tacoma is one of the largest in a network of 250 centers in the US, holding tens of thousands of people facing deportation. A controversial congressional directive requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep 34,000 detainees per day in custody.
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