73 immigrants detained at the Folkston D Ray James ICE Processing Center in southeast Georgia launched a hunger strike Tuesday, demanding release while their asylum cases remain pending.
The center, a former state prison, houses about 2,200 detainees and is managed by GEO Group under a federal contract. The strike follows a similar protest at the GEO Group‑run Delaney Hall facility in New Jersey earlier this year.
A signed open letter, endorsed by 45 of the strikers, calls for release and family reunification, citing that detainees have endured between 16 months and almost three years in custody without a criminal charge.
Kovalko and Borovkov, both Russian asylum seekers, released a nine‑page report accusing the facility of inadequate medical care, mold‑laden food, cramped quarters, limited daylight, and xenophobic staff behaviour, while a Yemen‑born detainee suffers from lung cancer and has a U.S. citizen child.
GEO Group redirected the allegations to ICE, which has not yet issued a comment, and the Department of Homeland Security declined to respond. Monica Whatley of the Campaign to Shut Down the Folkston ICE Processing Center said the organization will pursue congressional hearings on the conditions.
The detainees’ letter has been forwarded to lawmakers, and ICE officials are expected to address the protest in an upcoming briefing. Meanwhile, families anxiously await any movement toward release.