Tacoma, WA: At Least 170 Detainees Launch Hunger Strike Against Family Seperations

This last Saturday we showed up outside the Detention Center like we often do, but this time we had Mariachi bands and we sang and danced as we shouted #ChingaLaMigra and #AbolishICE. We sang and we danced, honoring our belief in a world with freedom of movement for all, a world with no detention, no deportation, a world where families are not forcibly separated from each other by border agents.

While we were there, people detained inside the NWDC decided to begin a hunger strike. They called us from inside the Detention Center to let us know. This is what hunger strikers told us over the phone on Saturday:

The people detained in the NWDC are appalled by what has been done to parents and their children at the border. They want those families released immediately from detention and reunited, and then all the parents detained at the NWDC released.

They are doing this action as a solidarity action and will go for three days or at least 9 meals. Geo Group (who owns and operates the Detention Center) has already begun retaliation against those on hunger strike, including threats by guards saying if they don’t eat, “things will be really bad” for them. There are at least 2 pods confirmed who started their hunger strike yesterday, Saturday, with a total of at least 170 people.

As those who are detained in the NWDC put their bodies on the line while on hunger strike, we on the outside will amplify their message. We will let them know that they are not alone. For updates on the hunger strikes and our work, follow us on FB or IG and head to our website to sign up for our email list.