Advocates and attorneys say detainees at the Adelanto ICE complex were punished after launching a hunger and economic strike, describing a clampdown that included transfers, solitary confinement and physical restraints at the Desert View Annex. The Immigrant Defenders Law Center says one key organizer, who had just met with members of Congress, was then moved out of the Central District and placed on a fast-track deportation schedule. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security flatly deny that any hunger strike took place and insist detainees are not being abused at the facility.
Advocates say people inside have given first-hand accounts of being zip-tied, threatened with tear gas and put into what they describe as punitive isolation. They say at least 20 detainees began refusing meals on May 19. According to Immigrant Defenders Law Center, organizers handed visiting lawmakers a petition, and several people who spoke out publicly afterward were singled out for transfers or solitary confinement. ImmDef says the petition carried roughly 150 signatures from people detained inside the complex.
Lawmakers Were Handed A Petition
Three Southern California members of Congress, Reps. Judy Chu, Pete Aguilar and Jimmy Gomez, toured Adelanto on June 1 and walked out with that petition in hand. The document laid out detainees’ complaints about food, water and medical care. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Gomez said the petition had been signed by more than 100 detainees and that some had been on hunger strike from May 22 through May 28. Lawmakers said detainees told them food rations were cut and that staff sometimes counted trays delivered to cells as proof that no strike was underway, regardless of whether people actually ate.
State Review Flags Worsening Conditions
The California Department of Justice’s May 2026 inspection found that Adelanto and its Desert View Annex were not meeting applicable detention standards and had seen a sharp increase in the number of people held there. The report, from the California Department of Justice, notes at least four deaths at the Adelanto complex between September 2025 and March 2026 and raises alarms about medical care, water quality and overall oversight.
ICE And GEO Group Push Back
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security maintain that no abuse is occurring at Adelanto and say detainee transfers are routine steps in removal proceedings. KVCR News reports that GEO Group, the private contractor that runs the Adelanto facilities, has "categorically rejected" the retaliation and abuse allegations and says its operations are closely monitored for compliance. Advocates counter that those denials have done little to quiet families, lawmakers and state officials who keep sounding the alarm about conditions inside.
Legal Questions Over Transfers
Immigrant attorneys argue that moving a hunger strike organizer out of the region without warning could run afoul of the Central District of California’s General Order No. 26‑05. That order, posted on the court’s website, requires at least two court days of notice to petitioners and their counsel before someone is removed from the district. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times and statements from ImmDef say the transfer of detainee Kyron Shakeel Swaso, along with his expedited deportation processing, is now drawing close legal scrutiny.
What Comes Next
Advocates say they plan to keep up both courtroom battles and public pressure, pointing to ongoing lawsuits over Adelanto’s conditions and the critical state review. According to Immigrant Defenders Law Center and local reporting, activists in Los Angeles have staged die-ins and solidarity fasts to keep the detainees’ complaints in the public eye. Lawmakers who visited the facility told reporters they intend to return to Adelanto as questions about oversight continue to pile up.
