A new wave of fightback against MAGA’s mass deportation agenda was ignited when detainees waged hunger and labor strikes nationwide.
At Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention facility in New Jersey, 200 prisoners launched a strike in May. They protested spoiled food, harassment, medical neglect and other abuses.
The strikers demanded the immediate release of the elderly, sick and vulnerable detainees, legal review of their cases, and an end to pressuring captives to self-deport. They called for freedom and closure of the facility.
The New Jersey action was a part of a flurry of detention center strikes, including at Adelanto in Los Angeles. The facility is notorious for its abuses with four on-site deaths recorded since September 2025. Like Delaney, Adelanto is operated by GEO Group, which serves detainees rotten food and forces them to work with little to no pay.
Bertie Hernandez of California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance reported the immigrant-led strikes began over high commissary prices.
“A hunger strike is the last resort and the most difficult form of protest,” Hernandez stated. “Detainees found no other alternative as this is the only way they were heard” since GEO Group refused to come to the table and discuss their demands.
In New Jersey, family members like Gaby Soto have led the support campaign from outside Delaney Hall. ICE captured her husband, Martin, while he was buying diapers for his children.
“We need to fix the broken immigration court system to free all detainees,” Soto stated. “Their stories should be heard entirely during their immigration hearing fairly and without bias.”
When hundreds of supporters mobilized at Delaney, ICE agents in riot gear met them with physical force and pepper spray. Governor Mikie Sherrill feigned support but later scapegoated “out-of-state agitators” and called in police to tear gas and make arrests.
Delaney organizers eventually decided to end the strike but the fight continues garnering support of labor unions — including teachers, health-care and longshore workers.
Adelanto’s organizing is also paused but the support coalition continues to expose the violence against detainees and to ensure family visitations.
The struggles inside detention centers show that Trump’s rampage against immigrants is not impenetrable.
To build on the brave strikes, what’s needed is a united front to fuse detainee organizers with community groups, the Left, and the power of labor unions. Such a formation could channel public protest and continue the fight until these centers of cruelty are closed.
Send feedback on this article to FSnews@socialism.com.
