Just one week in, an indefinite hunger strike at an all-women’s immigrant detention center in Texas—operated by the for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America—has swelled to hundreds of refugees and migrants who are uniting behind a single demand: immediate freedom.
While the exact number of participants is unknown, a person who regularly visits the Hutto Detention Center in Taylor where the protest is taking place told Common Dreams that a “very substantial proportion” of the 500 women detained there on hunger strike. The source requested anonymity to ensure continued access to the detention center, which is ultimately under the control of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.