Michigan Advocates Demand Independent Probe After Hunger Strike Claims at ICE Detention Center

Two Michigan-based organizations, the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), have raised alarms over conditions at the ICE North Lake Detention Center in Baldwin, demanding an independent congressional investigation. Their call follows reports of a hunger strike launched by detainees on April 20, protesting poor conditions, inadequate medical care, and prolonged detention.

According to statements from the ACLU and MIRC, detainees have experienced severe medical neglect since the facility reopened. Complaints include life-threatening delays in care, denial of prescription medications unless detainees pay, and a lack of follow-up treatment after hospital visits. Some detainees reportedly witnessed fellow inmates collapse and had to plead with staff for hours before receiving medical attention.

These allegations stand in stark contrast to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) official response, which outright denies the existence of a hunger strike and asserts that detainees receive three meals daily, clean water, hygiene supplies, and access to phones. DHS claims ICE provides “higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons” and offers comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health care from the moment individuals enter custody.

The ACLU also highlighted the death of 56-year-old Nenko Stanev Gantchev last December at North Lake, who died of natural causes while detained. Detainees have additionally reported receiving spoiled or insufficient food portions.

Loren Khogali, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, condemned the conditions as part of the Trump administration’s “cruel and xenophobic mass deportation agenda,” accusing ICE of warehousing community members under indefinite, inhumane detention. Khogali emphasized that North Lake’s practices violate constitutional mandates and federal standards, making an independent investigation imperative.

ICE’s official narrative frames their detention centers as adhering strictly to the National Detention Standards and Family Residential Standards, which they say prioritize detainee safety, sanitation, and humane treatment. DHS also stresses ICE’s commitment to transparency and accountability, citing regular inspections and detainees’ access to legal resources and attorney communication.

However, the starkly conflicting accounts from detainees and advocacy groups add to a growing body of evidence exposing systemic abuses at ICE facilities nationwide. The North Lake case exemplifies how oversight failures enable medical neglect and mistreatment behind detention walls, demanding urgent congressional scrutiny.

As the Trump administration doubles down on aggressive immigration enforcement, the human cost of these policies is becoming impossible to ignore. Independent investigations like the one demanded by Michigan advocates are critical to exposing abuses and holding ICE accountable for the health and dignity of those in its custody.