Hell of Russians in an American immigration detention center. They started a hunger strike

Several independent Russian media, including The Insider, write about the case. The wife of one of the Russians staying in the immigration center told the website that the hunger strike began earlier than planned - on Tuesday, not Wednesday.

About 50 people of various nationalities are to take part in the hunger strike against the conditions of detention, including the above-mentioned Russians, as well as citizens of Latin American countries, Iran, Afghanistan and China.

Complaints about medical care and contact with the world

The authors of the collective complaint claim that access to medical assistance at the facility is very limited. According to reports, in the case of fever, high blood pressure or severe pain, you have to wait even more than a week for a consultation. Emergency help is to be provided only in the event of loss of consciousness or heavy bleeding.

One of the document's signatories, Alexei Kovalko, wrote in the complaint that dental care was particularly problematic. "From my personal experience: numerous complaints of toothache and requests for dental visits have been ignored for almost two years," he claims.

Russians also point to poor water quality, poor food, low temperature in cells and noise that makes it difficult to sleep. They also criticize the rules of contact with the outside world: paper correspondence is to be delivered irregularly, e-mail is not available, and telephone calls are expensive. According to the authors of the complaint, this makes it difficult to prepare for proceedings regarding their immigration status.

They want to be transferred or fired

The immigration detention center at the center of the collective complaint is the D. Ray James facility in Folkston, Georgia, named after the city's former mayor. It is managed by the private company GEO Grup.

The facility previously operated as a federal prison, and in 2025 it was transformed into an immigration detention center. People staying there are not serving sentences for crimes - they are deprived of liberty while immigration cases, including asylum applications, are considered.

The Russians who signed the collective complaint are detained in the center for five to 30 months. They demand improvement of conditions, transfer to other facilities or release during court proceedings.

The influx of Russians seeking asylum in the United States increased after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since Donald Trump's return to power, the American authorities have intensified their actions related to the detention and deportation of foreigners.