Force Fed: The Dark Reality of Hunger Strikes in US Detention Centers The recent court order allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to force feed a Cuban hunger striker through a surgically implanted tube highlights the deplorable conditions within US detention centers.
This incident is part of a disturbing trend that has escalated under the Trump administration. Since January 2025, ICE has secured court orders for involuntary medical procedures in at least 19 hunger strike cases.
These orders permit force feeding via nasal tubes and more invasive surgical procedures like percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertions.