Michigan ICE Detainees Risk Their Lives in Hunger Strike to Protest Inhumane Conditions and Indefinite Detention

Detainees at the North Lake Processing Center, a sprawling 1,800-bed ICE detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan, owned by the private prison giant GEO Group, began a hunger strike on April 20 to protest the facility’s inhumane conditions and indefinite detention without bond. After a brief pause, the strike escalated on April 25 with detainees refusing to work, highlighting the facility’s failure to provide adequate medical care.

The strike follows the December death of 56-year-old Nenko Gantchev, a Bulgarian man from Chicago, whose family alleges medical neglect contributed to his passing. Though a medical examiner ruled Gantchev’s death as natural causes, his death is one of 33 reported in ICE custody last year—the highest toll in over two decades. This year, 17 deaths have already been reported.

Despite the hunger strike, the Department of Homeland Security initially denied any protest was underway. A recently released detainee, using the pseudonym Juan, told the advocacy group No Detention Centers in Michigan bluntly, “The government is lying.” He described “truly deplorable” conditions where medical complaints are routinely dismissed with little more than Tylenol, leaving many seriously ill detainees untreated.

ICE responded with the usual hollow claims, insisting it provides “excellent medical, mental and dental care” and that all detention centers comply with federal standards for safety and humane treatment. But the reality on the ground tells a different story.

The hunger strike also calls attention to the rampant denial of bond, which traps detainees indefinitely. Advocates say bond denial has become a tool of punishment, keeping people locked up while their immigration cases drag on. ProPublica reports tens of thousands of detainees have challenged their detention in federal court, with judges frequently ordering bond hearings. Yet immigration judges, who operate under the Department of Justice, have been systematically denying bonds—even to those with no criminal record. At North Lake, about 85% of detainees have never been convicted of a crime.

Miriam Aukerman of the Michigan ACLU warns of an “extremely alarming” situation where immigration judges face pressure to prioritize the Trump administration’s deportation agenda over legal fairness, with reports of judges being fired for resisting these demands.

The psychological toll of indefinite detention with no clear path forward and no assurance of basic care compounds the physical suffering endured by detainees at North Lake.

In response to these abuses, the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center have demanded an independent investigation, including a medical audit and congressional oversight visit. Six Democratic Michigan lawmakers, including Reps. Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib, and Haley Stevens, have sent a letter to DHS and ICE demanding answers. Rep. Stevens criticized ICE’s requirement for advance notice before visits, which allows the agency to stage “sanitized” tours that hide the truth.

“No one should be subjected to prolonged detention without basic care and dignity,” Stevens said. “The hunger strike underscores the urgency of these concerns.”

Amplifying the detainees’ demands, more than 130 faith leaders across Michigan began a weeklong fast on April 28 in solidarity, framing the struggle in moral and spiritual terms.

This hunger strike is a stark reminder that when government agencies refuse accountability, the power to demand justice rests with the people. The courage of these detainees shines a light on the systemic cruelty embedded in the immigration detention system and calls on all of us to demand real change.