More than 50 people are preparing to go on hunger strike to protest conditions at Georgia's Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center, where Russian citizens awaiting decisions on their asylum applications in the United States are also being held. The participants are from different nationalities, but the number of Russian citizens who will take part is not known.
Russian speakers drafted the complaint
Problems at the facility were outlined in a document dated September 14 and written in Russian. Two Russian-speaking people prepared the document, which was signed by 14 people; the spouse of one of the signatories said it had been sent as an official complaint to several federal oversight agencies.
The document stated that detainees lacked adequate access to medical and dental care, communication with the outside world had become more difficult, and staff behaved dismissively. The detainees said their time outdoors was restricted, mold was present on ceilings and beds, ventilation was inadequate, and they were unable to sleep. One of the document's authors said they had not received dental cleaning even once despite having been at the facility for approximately two years.
Conditions improved before inspection, but doubts remain
After an inspection scheduled for October 6 was announced, improvements were seen in meals and some living conditions; however, the detainees said they did not believe the changes would last. The hunger strike had been planned to begin on the day of the inspection, but some people reportedly stopped eating a day earlier. It was alleged that the facility's management gathered those expected to join the action last week and tried to persuade them to abandon it, warning that they could be separated from one another and placed in isolation if they continued.
GEO Group, which operates the facility, and ICE did not respond to requests for comment. On its website, the company says the center provides medical services around the clock, dietitian-approved meals, and in-person or online visitation, and that the facility is accredited by the American Correctional Association. The center was expanded last year under a $47 million contract with the Department of Homeland Security.
In recent years, hundreds of Russian citizens who traveled to the United States seeking asylum have been held in ICE facilities. While lengthy reviews of their applications have extended their detention, some Russian citizens have been forcibly returned to Russia.
