A group of immigrants being held at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, a detention facility in Bakersfield, began a hunger strike on July 3 to protest conditions there — including what they say are inadequate protections against the spread of COVID-19.
“Many of our toilets don’t work, and some of us are forced to share just two toilets and one urinal with dozens of people," a group that described itself as “People detained in Dorms A, B, C, and D” said in a statement. "Our bathroom floors are covered in disgusting standing water, filled with mosquitos and crickets.”
In June, a worker at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. According to the hunger strikers’ statement, workers have not consistently worn masks or gloves, and people from state prisons with coronavirus outbreaks are being transferred to the facility “without being quarantined or tested for the virus,” increasing the risk of the virus’ spread.
“We take our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all those in our care and our employees with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesman for GEO Group Inc., the private company that runs the Mesa Verde center, told The Bakersfield Californian. “We will continue to work with the federal government and local health officials to implement best practices for the prevention, assessment and management of COVID-19, consistent with the latest guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Last week, a group of people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison began a hunger strike, also to protest conditions they said exacerbated the spread of COVID-19.