SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez issued a statement addressing the hunger strike taking place at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center Annex in San Bernardino County, where detainees are reportedly protesting conditions within the private immigration detention facility.
According to Pérez’s statement, detainees are participating in the hunger strike and demanding improved living conditions, access to proper medical and mental health care, nutritious food, accountability for detainee deaths, bond reform, and the right to organize. Pérez described the hunger strike as an act of civil disobedience intended to draw attention to conditions inside the detention center and increase accountability for the facility’s operators.
The statement criticized GEO Group, the private company operating the detention facility, arguing that detainees are risking their own health to highlight what Pérez described as a “moral stain” involving the treatment of immigrants in detention centers.
Pérez also referenced recent reports released by California Attorney General Rob Bonta regarding conditions inside multiple ICE detention facilities inspected throughout the state. According to the statement, the attorney general’s report described the conditions as “cruel, inhumane, and unacceptable,” citing concerns including undercooked food, limited access to clean drinking water, delayed medical care, and multiple detainee deaths occurring within less than a year.
The senator connected the Adelanto hunger strike to her proposed legislation, Senate Bill 995, also known as the Masuma Khan Justice Act. According to Pérez, the bill would establish a statewide inspection and compliance system for large involuntary residential facilities, including privately operated immigrant detention centers such as Adelanto.
The statement explained that the legislation is named after Masuma Khan, an Altadena resident and Eaton fire survivor who was detained under poor conditions without proper access to food, warm clothing or medication. According to Pérez, Khan’s experience raised further concerns regarding how detainees are treated within immigration detention centers.
Pérez argued that if detention centers continue operating in California, they should be required to meet state standards involving health care, nutrition, transparency and humane treatment. According to the statement, SB 995 is intended to increase oversight and accountability for detention centers operating throughout the state.
The statement also raised concerns regarding medical and mental health care inside detention centers. Pérez argued that detainees should receive proper care and safe living conditions regardless of immigration status. According to the statement, no individual should be treated inhumanely while detained in California facilities.
According to Pérez, the hunger strike demonstrates increasing frustration among detainees regarding living conditions inside immigration detention facilities. The statement argued that the protest reflects concerns about accountability, oversight and the treatment of immigrants held in privately operated detention centers throughout the country.
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center has faced criticism from immigrant rights advocates and civil rights organizations in previous years regarding conditions inside the detention center. Advocates argue that immigration detention centers often expose detainees to inadequate health care, unsafe living conditions and prolonged detention. Supporters of immigration detention policies argue that detention facilities are necessary for immigration enforcement and public safety operations.
Pérez additionally stated that California has a responsibility to ensure that all facilities operating within the state meet humane standards, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately managed. According to the statement, stronger oversight and inspections may help prevent future abuses and improve transparency regarding conditions experienced by detainees.
The statement concluded by expressing support for stronger oversight and accountability standards for privately operated facilities in California. According to Pérez, passage of SB 995 would help ensure detention facilities provide detainees with proper health care, improved living conditions and greater transparency.
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