Medical Procedures on Hunger Strikers
Homeland Security officials under the Trump administration have secretly pursued involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, on at least 10 individuals who are on hunger strikes in immigrant detention centers. In 2025 and 2026, these officials definitely carried out these procedures on at least three detainees. They likely did this on two more. The method used involves medical staff coercively inserting a tube through the nose and down into the throat. This is to deliver nutritional shakes. A process that can be extremely painful. It has been linked to significant physical and psychological trauma.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested court orders to physically restrain individuals who are on hunger strikes. In six of these cases, detainees did not have legal representation during the court process for the procedures. Legal experts argue that this is a clear violation of due process and an infringement on human dignity.
Eunice Cho, an attorney who has focused on immigration rights, has highlighted the administration's actions. She called it a broader reflection of the harsh treatment of immigrants. “The Trump administration’s choice to seek court orders to force-feed people in ICE detention who have engaged in hunger strikes is another stark example of the brutality it has unleashed against immigrants,” she said.
Continuity and Change in Policy
The practice of force-feeding has also been carried out under the previous administration. But it appears that the frequency has increased with Trump's return to office. With a notable rise in immigration arrests, there are growing concerns among medical professionals and advocates. They are worried more individuals will resort to hunger strikes. This is to protest the conditions they face.
An example of this policy shift is seen in the case of a Canadian detainee at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state. He was subjected to forced medical procedures just before Trump's second term began. The procedures started on 8 January under Biden's administration and ended two days after Trump's inauguration.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the western district of Washington confirmed to the Guardian one such case in its jurisdiction since January 2025. Officials have not publicly acknowledged the use of involuntary medical procedures on detainees. Even as the number of people in ICE custody has risen significantly.
A Kurdish asylum seeker, who was in detention at the privately-run Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, was subjected to force-feeding for nearly eight months. This was revealed in a series of filings in the southern district of Texas federal court, which began in May 2025 and ended only when he was deported.
In another instance, someone detained at the Krome service processing center in Miami, a privately-operated ICE jail, was subjected to forced medical procedures for nearly three months. This was revealed in filings in the southern district of Florida federal court. The Guardian’s investigation also showed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seemingly began these forceful practices just three days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration for a second term and continued afterward.
Two other hunger strikers, one at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state and another inside the Montgomery processing center on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, were likely subjected to forced medical procedures. This is evident from filings in the western district of Washington and in the southern district of Texas federal courts.
In at least five cases, hunger strikers detained in Texas, Arizona, and Florida ended their hunger strike just before officials began the forced medical procedures. This was revealed in filings in the southern district of Texas, district of Arizona, and southern district of Florida federal courts.
This highlights a significant gap in legal support for these individuals. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have conducted these procedures throughout the years, regardless of which presidential administration is in power.
Despite the significant increase in immigration arrests and detention, DHS and ICE did not provide comment or a response to questions from the Guardian. The U.S. attorney’s office for the western district of Washington confirmed to the Guardian one such case in its jurisdiction since January 2025, involving a Canadian man whose procedures likely began on 8 January in the closing days of the Biden administration and ended just two days after Trump’s inauguration.
The lack of public acknowledgment by the government regarding the use of involuntary medical procedures on detainees underscores the controversy and potential human rights violations associated with these actions. It also raises questions about the oversight and regulation of such practices within the confines of ICE facilities.