MIAMI, Florida, USA—22 Sikh youths hailing from Punjab and currently detained in Florida jail have initiated an indefinite hunger strike seeking transfer of their cases to the local court. The youth have been on hunger strike since July 25.
The American Civil Liberties Union says it’s trying to help 22 Sikh men who are on hunger strike at a South Florida immigration detention facility.
The asylum-seekers from India initially began a hunger strike after they learned they would appear before a judge at the Broward Transitional Center who would not likely grant them bond. They were transferred to Krome Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade County, where they say they were supposed to receive a bond hearing. But when they learned July 25 that their cases were being transferred back to BTC for removal hearings, they went back on hunger strike.
The ACLU says several of the men have now been hospitalized and are being threatened with force-feeding.
A prepared statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the agency does not manipulate the immigration court system by transferring detainees to facilities overseen by different immigration court judges.
