ICE given permission to force-feed Cuban hunger striker with gastric tube
Summary
A federal judge recently allowed ICE to force-feed a Cuban detainee on hunger strike at a Texas detention center. The force-feeding involved a rare surgical procedure where a tube is inserted directly into the stomach without the detainee’s consent. ICE reported the man has now resumed eating on his own.Key Facts
- ICE received a court order to force-feed a Cuban hunger striker in Texas using a surgical feeding tube.
- The procedure is called percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, which requires an incision in the abdomen.
- This is one of 19 hunger striker cases since January 2025 where ICE was approved to perform involuntary medical procedures.
- The detainee is held at Montgomery ICE processing center near Houston, a private facility.
- DHS said the detainee has stopped the hunger strike and is eating and drinking again.
- Most court records about the case are sealed, so details remain undisclosed.
- Human rights groups widely condemn force-feeding in detention centers as cruel and degrading.
- Ice typically uses a nasal tube for force-feeding but this surgical method is a newer development.
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