Summary of The hunger strike ICE says never happened

Overview of The hunger strike ICE says never happened

This NPR Code Switch episode investigates the hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, and the government’s insistence that the strike never happened. Through reporting from Jose Olivares and Sophie Hurwitz, the episode shows how detainees protested spoiled food, overcrowding, poor medical care, and abusive conditions—and how ICE, DHS, and GEO Group used denial, retaliation, and restricted oversight to control the narrative.

What happened at Delaney Hall

• Delaney Hall is a privately run ICE detention center operated by GEO Group.
• In late May, hundreds of detainees reportedly joined a hunger strike and labor strike.
• The strike was sparked by allegations including:
  • spoiled or contaminated food
  • overcrowding
  • sleeping on floors
  • lack of basic supplies like toilet paper
  • poor medical treatment
• Detainees also stopped performing essential facility labor such as:
  • cleaning and sanitation
  • kitchen work
  • laundry
  • library tasks

The protest outside the facility

• Community members, family members, faith leaders, and medics gathered outside Delaney Hall in support of detainees.
• Protesters were met with:
  • pepper spray
  • baton use
  • riot gear
  • clashes involving ICE officers, GEO Group guards, local police, and New Jersey state police
• Newark’s mayor instituted a nightly curfew around the facility amid the unrest.

Key people and stories

Martin Soto and Gabriela Soto

• Martin Soto was detained by ICE while on his way to buy diapers for his son.
• He later joined the hunger strike inside Delaney Hall.
• His wife, Gabriela Soto, became an organizer outside the facility and a prominent voice for detainees’ families.
• During an attempted transfer of Martin, protesters and lawmakers tried to stop the vans, leading to chaos and pepper spray being deployed, including against Sen. Andy Kim.

Elder Guerra

• Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant, was detained after helping a friend shovel snow and move a car.
• He reportedly fell in the shower, hit his head, lost consciousness, and suffered a seizure.
• Family members say he is now in medical isolation, with worsening health, including vision loss and dizziness.

How the government responded

• DHS and ICE repeatedly denied the strike was happening.
• At the same time, Trump administration officials threatened force-feeding if the strike continued.
• The episode highlights the contradiction between:
  • public denial of the strike
  • behind-the-scenes measures suggesting the government recognized it as real
• Journalists and advocates say the denial may help DHS avoid obligations tied to hunger strikes, including medical oversight.

Oversight and accountability problems

• Members of Congress who visited Delaney Hall were reportedly blocked from speaking with detainees.
• Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim both described limits on what they were allowed to see or do during oversight visits.
• Reporters are not allowed inside, and outside scrutiny is heavily restricted.
• The episode argues that DHS has weakened oversight more broadly, including by eliminating the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Oversight Office.

Retaliation alleged by detainees and advocates

Advocates and detainees described several forms of retaliation:

• pepper spraying inside the facility
• verbal intimidation
• pressure to sign self-deportation forms
• transfers to other detention centers to break organizing efforts
• cancellation of family visitation
• arbitrary visitation restrictions based on clothing or other minor issues

The bigger system behind Delaney Hall

GEO Group’s role

• GEO Group is a major private prison contractor and ICE’s largest contractor.
• It reportedly receives about 40% of ICE’s total detention beds.
• The company profits heavily from the detention system and from detainee labor.

Detainee labor

• Immigration detention is civil, not criminal, but detainees are often required to work.
• Work is typically paid at extremely low rates, sometimes around $1 per day.
• The labor strike mattered because detainees were performing the work that keeps the facility running.

Revolving door politics

• The episode emphasizes the close relationship between GEO Group and government officials.
• Former ICE officials have gone on to work for GEO Group, and former GEO Group executives have entered government roles.
• This creates serious concerns about conflicts of interest and accountability.

Broader significance

• Delaney Hall is not an isolated case.
• Similar hunger strikes and protests have occurred at other ICE facilities, including:
  • Atalanto Detention Center in California
  • Northwest Detention Center in Washington state
  • other facilities during earlier crises, including COVID-era protests
• The episode suggests that what’s happening at Delaney Hall reflects a larger national pattern of detention abuse, weak oversight, and profit-driven immigration enforcement.

Main takeaways

• The strike at Delaney Hall appears to have been real, despite official denial.
• Conditions inside the facility are described by detainees and families as abusive and unsafe.
• Retaliation and restricted oversight make it difficult to verify what happens inside detention centers.
• The private prison system, especially GEO Group, is deeply embedded in immigration detention policy and profits from it.
• Community organizing outside the facility has become a major source of support and pressure.

Closing perspective

The episode ends by stressing that detainees are not isolated strangers—they are community members, spouses, parents, and children’s caregivers. The protests outside Delaney Hall are presented as an act of mutual aid and solidarity, challenging the government’s portrayal of detainees as criminals and protesters as rioters.