A Kurdish man held in U.S. immigration detention has spoken out about the psychological toll of being force-fed by ICE officers. The hunger striker, whose identity has not been disclosed, said the procedure "mentally broke" him.
Force-feeding is used when detainees refuse to eat, often to protest their detention or conditions. The practice has been widely condemned by human rights groups as cruel and degrading.
The man described the experience as traumatic, leaving him feeling powerless and humiliated. "It mentally broke me," he told The Guardian.
Advocates argue that force-feeding violates medical ethics and international standards. ICE has defended the practice as necessary to preserve life in extreme cases.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the conditions inside U.S. immigration facilities and the treatment of Kurdish and other minority detainees.
Some Kurdish asylum seekers face additional risks due to their ethnic background and the political situation in their home regions.
The hunger striker's testimony adds to growing accounts of harsh treatment within the U.S. immigration system, with calls for reform growing louder.
