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U.S. NEWS Friday 8 February 2019

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U.N.: U.S. force-feeding immigrants may breach torture agreement

By GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press
The United States could
be violating the U.N. Con-
vention Against Torture by
force-feeding immigrant
detainees on a hunger
strike inside an El Paso de-
tention facility, the United
Nations human rights office
said Thursday.
The Geneva-based Office
of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights is con-
cerned that force-feeding
could constitute “ill treat-
ment” that goes against
the convention, which the
United States ratified in
1994, spokeswoman Ravi-
na Shamdasani told The
Associated Press.
The U.N.’s statement
echoes concerns raised
by 14 Democratic lawmak-
ers who sent a letter to U.S.
Immigration and Customs In this June 2018 file photo, protesters walking along Montana Avenue outside the El Paso Processing Center, in El Paso, Texas.
Enforcement on Thursday Associated Press
requesting more informa- numerous El Paso detain- courts have not conclusive- concerns about physicians dorses the World Medical
tion about nine Indian men ees after a federal judge ly decided whether judges participating in the force- Association Declaration of
who are being force-fed issued a court order allow- must issue orders before feeding of hunger strikers Tokyo, which states that
through nasal tubes after ing them to be force-fed ICE force-feeds detainees, on multiple occasions, and when prisoners refuse food
refusing to eat to protest against their will. so rules vary by district and its own principles of medi- and physicians believe
what they described as un- “ICE is committed to pre- orders are sometimes filed cal ethics state “a patient they are capable of “ratio-
fair treatment. serving the lives of those in secretly. who has decision-making nal judgment concerning
One of the hunger strikers, a its custody and maintain- The controversy comes as capacity may accept or the consequences of such
22-year-old asylum seeker ing orderly detention facil- President Donald Trump refuse any recommended a voluntary refusal of nour-
who has not eaten in more ity operations,” the agency prepares to visit El Paso on medical intervention.” ishment, he or she shall not
than a month, said he was said Thursday in response Monday for his first cam- The association also en- be fed artificially.”q
dragged from his cell three to the U.N.’s statement. paign rally of the year to
times a day and strapped “For their health and safe- be held at a coliseum in
down on a bed as a group ty, ICE closely monitors the the bustling border city. The
of people poured liquid food and water intake of detainees, who are refusing
into tubes inserted into his those detainees identified food to protest what they
nose. as being on a hunger strike. describe as verbal abuse
“It is critical that ICE com- Medical staff constantly and threats of deportation
mit to ending this prac- monitor detainees to eval- from guards, are being held
tice,” said the letter spear- uate whether the hunger in a highly guarded facility
headed by Texas Demo- strike poses a risk to the de- surrounded by a chain-link
cratic Rep. Veronica Esco- tainee’s life or permanent fence on a busy street near
bar, who toured the El Paso health.” the airport.
Processing Center and met While ICE doesn’t keep The U.N. human rights of-
with the men after AP re- statistics on force-feeding fice did not make any rec-
ported on the force-feed- throughout the immigra- ommendation in this case.
ing last week. tion detention system, at- Force-feeding raises ethics
Hunger strikes are relatively torneys, advocates and issues for medical profes-
uncommon inside ICE de- agency staffers AP spoke sionals who work inside ICE
tention. Last month, ICE with did not recall a situ- facilities.
began non-consensual ation where it had come The American Medical As-
feeding and hydration of to force-feeding. Federal sociation has expressed its