DHS and ICE Force-Feed Hunger Strikers in Detention Centers

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement used court orders between 2025 and 2026 to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in U.S. immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures. These actions, which persisted from the end of the Joe Biden administration into the second term of Donald Trump, included force-feeding via nasal tubes, intravenous forced hydration, and the involuntary collection of blood and urine.

Investigations confirm that three detainees were definitely force-fed, while two others likely underwent the treatment. An additional five detainees ended their hunger strikes specifically to avoid these procedures. The practices took place across multiple facilities, including the Port Isabel, Krome, Northwest, and Montgomery processing centers. In one instance at Port Isabel, a Kurdish asylum seeker was force-fed for nearly eight months.

Government officials maintain these measures are necessary to prevent death and maintain good order within the facilities. However, human rights groups and medical ethicists characterize the practices as torture. Some detainees lacked legal representation during the court proceedings used to authorize the physical restraints and medical interventions.