Democrats press ICE on Texas hunger strikers who say they face force-feeding threats

Seven congressional Democrats sent a letter this week to federal immigration officials. They want answers about conditions at a Texas immigration jail, where detainees on a long hunger strike say they are being retaliated against and threatened with force-feeding ¹.

The letter went to Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and David Venturella, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois led the group. Texas Representatives Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett also signed it ¹.

What the detainees say

The El Valle detention facility in Raymondville, Texas, holds men and women. Detainees there say medical care is poor, the water is undrinkable and guards mistreat them. Some also want their cases to move faster, or want to be moved closer to their families ¹.

The hunger strike began on October 11 and is nearing three weeks. More than two dozen people took part at first, according to family members and advocates. Family members now say four women and 10 to 20 men are still refusing food ¹.

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A Russian-language outlet, Vot Tak, reported earlier in October that 15 women started the strike and 20 men joined later. The husband of one striker said staff were not monitoring the health of people refusing food, as the rules require ².

One striker is Inna Eremeeva, an asylum seeker from Russia. Her husband, Alexei, told the Guardian that officials earlier said the hunger-striking women would be moved to another ICE facility to be force-fed. Other ICE centers in Texas have been used to force-feed detainees ¹.

People are feeling hopeless and desperate in the black hole of ICE detention

What the government says

An ICE spokesperson said the claims are false and that no detainees are being force-fed or threatened with it. ICE said it keeps providing three meals a day and enough drinking water ¹.

A DHS spokesperson did not address the conditions. The spokesperson said the lawmakers should be thanking law enforcement for removing "dangerous criminals" from their districts. DHS did not provide proof that the strikers have any criminal history ¹.

DHS said Eremeeva entered the country using the CBP One app, a Biden-era program for processing asylum seekers. She was arrested at a Texas checkpoint in November 2025 and is fighting her deportation ¹.

What the lawmakers want

The letter says the conditions, whether they came from indifference or inability, violate DHS and ICE's own detention standards. The lawmakers demand that the hunger strikers be released to their families. They also demand that ICE not force-feed anyone in its custody. They ask for details on the detainee population and the quality of medical care ¹.

The lawmakers, led by Ramirez, wrote that it is abundantly clear DHS continues to demonstrate gross disregard for the health, dignity, personhood and safety of their communities ¹.

El Valle is owned by the Willacy County Local Government Corporation and run by a private prison company, Management and Training Corporation. The local government corporation did not respond to a request for comment, and the company referred questions to ICE ¹.

Why it matters

That matters because the number of people held by ICE is rising ¹. Senators from Georgia have also voiced concern about a hunger strike at the Folkston ICE complex. A man detained there died, the Guardian reported last week. DHS denies that strikers in Georgia were threatened ¹.

DHS said only that it answers official mail through official channels. The letter's 63-year-old subject, a striker with health problems, is described by his daughter as wanting only to see his family ¹.

The Record

1. Oct 11, 2026Detainees at the El Valle facility in Raymondville, Texas, began a hunger strike ¹².
2. Oct 16, 2026Vot Tak reported more than 30 participants, including Russian nationals ².
3. Oct 30, 2026The Guardian reported the congressional letter to DHS and ICE sent earlier that week; ICE denies threatening anyone with force-feeding ¹.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Congressional Democrats send scathing letter to ICE and DHS decrying treatment of hunger strikers” (2026-10-30). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/30/congressional-democrats-
2. Meduza, “Detainees at a third U.S. immigration detention center go on hunger strike, including Russian nationals” (2026-10-16). meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/16/detainees-at-a-third-u-s-immigr

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