No Detention Centers in Michigan organized a protest in solidarity with detainees who began a hunger strike at the detention center in Baldwin

Yesterday, about 40 people gathered outside of the North Lake Processing Center run by the GEO Group in Baldwin, Michigan.

People came from all over the state to support people who were being detained at the ICE detention facility, because they had begun a hunger strike on Monday, according to the group No Detention Centers in Michigan (NDCM).

The NCDM sent out a Press Release that stated in part:

“We demand competent doctors, better medical care—the food here is absolute garbage—and, above all, an end to the procedural delays we are suffering through inside these walls,” said one immigrant detained at North Lake, in a translated statement. “We are being held prisoner arbitrarily. The majority of us meet all the requirements to be released, yet judges capriciously deny us bond and the basic rights to which we are entitled. We need to get out of here and to be treated like human beings.”

The newly declared hunger strike represents both a response to the intensification of disturbing trends in immigration enforcement across the region and the country—with deaths in ICE detention now at a record high—and the continuation of a long history of unrest at this isolated Northern Michigan prison. Immigrant advocates plan to gather in Baldwin this week in support of those held against their will and their efforts to secure their freedom.

Those who were protesting the unjust treatment of detainees arrived around 3pm on Tuesday, just in time for the shift change for GEO Group employees. People made it difficult for workers to leave by closing the gate, along with visibly and verbally confronting those who do the dirty work for the GEO Group.

However, the focus was on detainees who had begun a hunger strike, along with several women detainees that, “filed a joint habeas corpus petition, recounting their conditions of confinement and constitutional violations.”

After about an hour people moved from the main entrance over to one of the less used entrances, since detainees would be able to see people showing up in solidarity and possibly hearing the chants.

When people moved to the other entrance several Lake County Sheriff’s deputies parked across the road to monitor those demonstrating, but when some people walked towards them they got in their cruisers and left the area. Several people commented that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office probably has no or limited training on dealing with protesters.

Throughout the protest organizers with No Detention Centers in Michigan read stories of detainees regarding the conditions in the detention facility and how they are treated by the guards. The stories were powerful and sobering.

“The prevailing feeling is one of deep discontent regarding the injustices faced in immigration courts,” another person detained at North Lake observed through a translator. “There are complaints regarding the lack of expediency in case processing, a lack of sound judgment and impartiality in judges’ rulings, the mass denial of cases, and a lack of legal aid. Immigrants are being treated as ‘blank checks’—exploited as a source of revenue for this private detention company. Please help us address the injustices currently taking place here.”

During the last portion of the solidarity protest one of the detainees had sent an audio message to one of the No Detention Centers in Michigan organizers that was shared with everyone who gathered. The audio message was heartbreaking, in that the person talked about the harsh treatment from the guards, the unhealthy food they were give, the lack of medical attention and the unsanitary conditions of the North Lake Processing Center.

Lastly, some of the detainees had communicated that they were hearing the chants and could see us standing outside in solidarity with them. It seems like a small gestures, but for anyone who has been in jail, prison or detention, knowing there are people supporting you and applying pressure to the systems that are oppressing them can provide them with hope and act as a lifeline.