Hunger strike

U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., made an unannounced visit to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, a GEO Group-run ICE facility, after reports of a hunger strike, poor food and troubling living conditions. Accompanied by Rep. Emily Randall, D-Wash., Dexter said facility staff initially denied any hunger strike was underway, showing records for two units with no refused meals. But a detainee from a different unit told the lawmakers that units G3 and G4, housing roughly 140 people, were participating, with nearly all detainees in G4 refusing meals for four days.

Dexter and Randall were barred from touring the medical unit, and all visitations were halted during their visit. They also heard an unverified report of two deaths at the facility this week, along with concerns about inadequate medical care for detainees with diabetes and chronic illness. Dexter called the contradictory information "incredibly frustrating" and plans to send a formal follow-up letter seeking answers from federal officials.