Attorneys: 4 Mesa Verde strikers transferred to El Paso
After a 20-day hunger strike, officials at the Mesa Verde immigration detention center reportedly have transferred four detainees to an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas, for medical purposes.
In response, lawyers representing the strikers filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order in federal district court in San Francisco on Tuesday, according to a news release from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California.
According to the motion, guards clad in bulletproof vests and helmets and carrying batons entered Dormitory C at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, and after two hours of struggle, detention officers, along with others with “San Francisco Special Response” badges, forcibly handcuffed four detainees who were taking part in the hunger strike.
The guards allegedly refused requests by detainees to contact any outside groups, including the police, ICE and their attorneys, the ACLU said. They then allegedly screamed at the strikers, and threw them to the floor as they were handcuffed.
In their request, representatives of the strikers are asking through the motion to block ICE and GEO Group, which manages Mesa Verde, from using violence or excessive force; denying access to attorneys; and transferring strikers to different facilities, including a stop to the transfer of the four strikers to Texas.
“ICE and GEO’s brutality yesterday is further demonstration that they cannot be trusted with the safety and well-being of immigrant members of our community,” the attorneys said in a joint statement. “There is no form of medical care that involves throwing people on the ground and wrenching their arms behind their back.”
In response, GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira referred to ICE for comment.
“As a service provider,” Ferreira said. “GEO (Group) plays no role in decisions related to the assignment to or transfers from ICE Processing Centers.”
A spokesperson for ICE said they could provide a response at a later date.
This follows a class action lawsuit filed two weeks ago against ICE and GEO Group for alleged retaliation against strikers who refuse to take part in the $1-a-day volunteer work program. The strikers continue to demand their release and closure of both local ICE detention centers, Mesa Verde in Bakersfield and Golden State Annex in McFarland.