MIAMI — A federal judge has authorized the force-feeding of a group of immigration detainees in Miami who have been on a hunger strike.
The 10 men who began the hunger strike Dec. 2 at the Krome Service Processing Center are from Bangladesh. As of Monday, seven still refuse to eat, and they entered U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga’s courtroom in wheelchairs.
Altonaga previously granted a petition from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security permitting involuntary blood draws and other medical procedures to monitor the detainees’ health.
On Monday, the judge authorized Krome medical staff to restrain and force-feed the detainees through nasal-gastric tubes if it becomes necessary to save their lives.
Speaking through an interpreter, Abdul Awal said he and the other detainees would rather die than be deported home.
