In the U.S., Russians who went on a hunger strike in an immigration detention center were sent to solitary confinement

At the “Folkson” immigration center in the United States, several Russian citizens who went on a hunger strike to protest their conditions of detention were transferred to solitary confinement. According to their relatives, the detainees have been denied water for several days and prevented from sleeping due to nightly checks.

In early October, a group of 45 asylum seekers, including 14 Russians, appealed to U.S. authorities demanding their release from the Folkson immigration center in Georgia.

At the time the class-action complaint was filed, the detainees had been held at the center for between 20 and 32 months.

According to the wives of the Russian men, who spoke with journalists from “Important Stories,” the detainees are effectively denied adequate medical care. Facility staff ignore complaints of toothaches, and doctors primarily prescribe painkillers and antibiotics.

One of the detainees developed stomach problems after taking such medications.

In addition, according to the publication, the migrants’ lawsuits challenging their detention were effectively left unaddressed.

After the detainees went on a hunger strike, the administration of the “Folkson” center gathered all the authors of the collective complaint.

According to relatives, administration officials stated that their actions would not change anything as long as Donald Trump remained in power. The detainees were also warned that the protest would allegedly negatively affect the processing of their asylum claims and could speed up their deportation.

The next day, the wife of one of the detainees lost contact with him, even though they had previously spoken regularly by phone.

Later, another asylum seeker managed to call his wife. He said that he and the other Russians who had gone on a hunger strike had been transferred to solitary confinement. According to the publication, a recording of this conversation is in the possession of journalists.

The Russians are currently being held in solitary confinement. According to their relatives, for several days now, center staff have been denying them water and disrupting their sleep by conducting constant nighttime checks.

As a result, some detainees have developed new health problems. Despite this, they intend to continue their hunger strike.

The Russians, whose relatives spoke with “Important Stories,” were detained after ICE officers—the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—stopped their cars for inspection.

According to their wives, the men were forcibly taken to the “Folkson” center, even though, as their relatives claim, they had the right to await a court decision on their asylum claims while remaining free and had not broken any laws.

They were officially employed, paid taxes, and had gone through the necessary bureaucratic procedures.

After being placed in immigration detention centers, the Russians, according to the publication, were not allowed to fully work on their asylum cases, and their ability to communicate with attorneys was restricted.

Subsequently, the courts reviewed their cases on a tight schedule and denied their asylum requests. At the time the hunger strike was announced, the Russians had already filed appeals in an attempt to challenge these decisions.

This was reported by the media, citing the wife of one of the detainees.

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