Hundreds of Immigrants Stage Hunger Strike at Michigan ICE Detention Center to Protest Inhumane Conditions

Hundreds of immigrants detained at North Lake Detention Center in Baldwin, Michigan, have initiated a rolling hunger and work strike to protest the facility’s inhumane conditions and systemic abuses. The strike began on April 19 and escalated into a coordinated action across all housing blocks by April 25, involving a majority of the detainees, according to organizers with No Detention Centers Michigan.

Operated by the private prison giant GEO Group, North Lake is the largest detention center in the Midwest and a notorious site for immigrant rights violations. Protesters report rampant medical neglect, with appointments routinely canceled and serious health issues like diabetes and infections treated only with over-the-counter painkillers like Tylenol or Advil.

One detainee described the facility’s conditions as “truly deplorable,” citing cracked ceilings, yellow-stained bathroom walls, and a callous disregard for pain and symptoms by medical staff. Another striker condemned ICE for denying the strike’s existence and covering up abuses, saying, “They treat us like murderers, and we are not.”

Beyond physical neglect, detainees also highlight a broken justice system inside the facility. They report excessive bond amounts, arbitrary asylum denials, and a lack of legal representation or family contact. One woman recounted a harrowing abduction by ICE agents who beat and verbally abused her before detaining her for three weeks without access to showers or lawyers.

The strike has sparked solidarity actions outside the facility. On April 26, over 70 supporters gathered at a picket near the detention center, sharing prisoner testimonies and messages of defiance. Faith leaders and activists have planned further protests, including a solidarity picket on May 17.

No Detention Centers Michigan is calling for letters of support to be sent to Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship, amplifying the voices of those inside the detention system. Meanwhile, ICE and GEO Group have remained silent on the strike and the detainees’ demands.

This hunger strike lays bare the ongoing human rights crisis in the immigration detention system and the urgent need for transparency and reform. The detainees’ message is clear: they will not stop fighting until their suffering is acknowledged and their basic rights respected.