Alert: Texas detainees on hunger strike

An estimated 200 immigrant detainees at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, are staging a hunger strike to protest physical and verbal abuse by guards, a lack of medical care and legal assistance, unsanitary living conditions and other violations of due process.

The action began on April 22. The facility, operated by Ahtna Technical Services Inc., holds about 1,200 male and female detainees. Some have been there for six or more months with no information about the status of their cases. In 2008, the Texas Civil Rights Review reported that four female detainees suffered miscarriages due to lack of adequate medical care there. The facility has been cited for a rat infestation.

On April 29, the Southwest Workers Union and other community groups will hold a fast and rally in front of the center. Calling on the authorities to stop these abuses, they demand the right to visit the detainees to determine their well-being.

Letters can be sent to: Field Office Director Michael J. Pitts, Port Isabel Detention Center, 27991 Buena Vista Blvd., Los Fresnos, TX 78566. For more information, call 956-207-9459.