It is no secret to anyone that the conditions at the Adelanto Detention Center, in San Bernardino County, are not good, and it seems that the situation is getting worse, as revealed by detained immigrants who have started a hunger strike to draw attention to the conditions in which they live and which they have described as “inhumane.”

Since Friday of last week, rumors began to circulate on social networks about the start of a hunger strike at the Adelanto Detention Center.

On Tuesday, advocates from the “Shutdown Adelanto” coalition confirmed that 20 detainees at the Desert View Annex facility, one of three facilities operated by GEO Group in Adelanto, began the strike in which they have refused to eat, avoided shopping at the center's store and limited phone calls.

Other reports confirmed yesterday morning that, in total, around 40 men are participating in the strike between Adelanto and Desert View Annex.

“My husband said that in recent months they have been served little food and that the portions are getting smaller, he says that there are people sick and suffering from malnutrition problems,” declared Eva, wife of a man detained at Desert View Annex and who is participating in the strike. “To prepare for the strike, many bought vitamins as a supplement for those who are not going to eat.”

According to immigrant rights organizations, the strikes at both centers occurred in the wake of a new report on ICE detention centers in California, published by the California Attorney General's Office, in which conditions were described as “cruel, inhumane and unacceptable.”

During its inspections, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his team found evidence of inadequate medical care and heard countless testimonies about disturbing, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, as well as a lack of basic necessities.

In a virtual press conference held Wednesday morning, Caleb Soto, an attorney for the National Network of Day Labor Organizations (NDLON), who represents people currently detained at the Adelanto detention center, stated that he visits the facility every week and has heard multiple testimonies about the conditions inside the detention centers.

“I see how the detainees deteriorate week after week,” Soto said. "The food they are given provides almost no nutritional value. Doctor appointments can take weeks or even months to be approved, often lasting 60 seconds and ending with a prescription for Tylenol, Advil or even a packet of salt. People with serious illnesses go untreated, and I have seen people age before my eyes in a matter of months."

'It's horrible'

During a visit to Adelanto last week, a man La Opinión spoke to, whose name we will not share for security reasons, commented on the lack of food. Describing what many have pointed out: that, in recent months, portions have been reduced. I also state that when he has asked to see a doctor because he felt sick or had a headache, he was only given a Tylenol pill.

"It's horrible. Last month there was a time when I felt very bad: I had a fever, my arm and head hurt, and the pain was unbearable," the man said during the hearing. “I begged the guard to take me to the doctor, but he said no and they only gave me a pill, which did nothing.”

Eva, who has been in communication with her husband, says that he entered the detention center with a condition in his finger, for which he was prescribed physical therapy, but inside the place he has not received treatment for his hand.

“It is already affecting his hand up to the elbow,” Eva declared. “He asked one of the guards to move him to the bottom bed because he was having difficulty getting onto the top bed because of his arm, and they told him to fill out a medical note, and that a doctor could decide if that was necessary.”

La Opinion contacted DHS to ask about the conditions inside the center, the hunger strike and other complaints from the detainees, but they denied that such a protest was taking place.

"False. There is no hunger strike in Adelanto. And we clarify that, during hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day, which are delivered to the detained alien's room, as well as an adequate supply of water and other beverages."

Human rights defenders have long documented and verified the conditions that prevail inside the detention center. In fact, earlier this year, a coalition of immigrant rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of detainees, demanding improvements in conditions at the detention center. The coalition has since requested an urgent court order to prevent further damage.

At the press conference, the organizers said that the people participating in the Adelanto strike have raised several requests.

“Bail reform, adequate medical and mental health care, nutritious food, real accountability for deaths, the right to organize and communicate without fear of reprisals and, ultimately, the complete closure of Adelanto,” said Jacky of Defend Migrant Workers.