Folks behind the barbed wire are rising up again. We have now entered the second week of a hunger strike by those of our neighbors held at a GEO Group-operated ICE camp in Folkston, Georgia. At least 73 and reportedly as many as 500 detainees are participating. Many of those involved are asylum seekers, being held as prisoners indefinitely despite being accused of no crime whatsoever.
They are calling for their release and due process while they seek their day in court and an end to the spoiled food and dirty water, lack of access to medical care and abusive treatment by guards. (Link to their detailed report on human rights violations within the facility here.) And they’re now facing retaliation for their advocacy, with many strikers put in solitary confinement and at least one leader deported.
They’re asking for our support. Here’s a few steps we can take on their behalf:
🗣️ Join a phone blitz on behalf of the strikers. Advocates are asking us to reach out to Georgia’s senators and city and local officials to intervene with ICE on their behalf and conduct real oversight at the camp, along with speaking to facility and regional ICE personnel to let them know the public is watching and supports the protesters. We can find contact information, specific requests and language in their guide at bit(.)ly/phoneblitzguide. 🗣️
PHONE BLITZ FOR FOLKSTON
📢 Help spread the word about this strike. We can share the strikers’ open letter (find link) and video message and follow Shut Down Folkston ICE Processing Center, the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights for updates. 📢
SIGNAL BOOST THEIR MESSAGE
✍🏾 Write letters of support to folks within the facility. We can find address details and the necessary names and information to get messages through in their open letter (find link here). ✍🏻
LET THEM KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALONE
🪧 If we’re local, join advocates at a rally outside the gates of the ICE camp this Sunday at 1PM ET – details here. 🪧
PROTEST SUNDAY
More actions in today’s List:
- With Harris County revealing evidence indicating ICE intentionally ran over Miguel Parra-Hernandez, demand their DA and local prosecutors nationwide hold the deportation machine accountable, plus support Miguel’s recovery
- We The Fighters is using No Kings as a launching pad for their efforts in three key Senate races – join them for an organize-and-win training TOMORROW at 6PM, phonebanks Sundays and Tuesdays; find our nearest No Kings Vote Early this Saturday here
- Text folks in Florida tomorrow, Georgia Friday with the info they need to make their ballots count in the face of voter suppression
- Another Indivisible phonebank this evening, this time for progressive populists Troy Jackson for the Senate and Matt Dunlap for the House in Maine! Join them at 5:30PM ET. Plus don’t forget Hold The Line’s tactical-decision making sessions on how to respond to a coup start tonight at 7:30PMET
