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Why detainees at two Kern County ICE facilities are holding a second labor and hunger strike

The Golden State Annex, a U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement detention facility, in McFarland on July 8, 2024.
Larry Valenzuela
/
CalMatters/CatchLight Local
The Golden State Annex, a U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement detention facility, in McFarland on July 8, 2024.

FRESNO, Calif. — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) often detains people waiting for deportation hearings or asylum cases. Some of those facilities are privately run, including the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield and the Golden State Annex facility in McFarland.

Jeanne Kuang, a reporter with CalMatters, spoke with KVPR’s Elizabeth Arakelian about reporting which recently found that detainees at these facilities have long complained about working conditions. Many of the detainees participate in a voluntary work program, where they are paid $1 a day.

In 2022, detainees protested working conditions at the two Kern County facilities and held a labor and hunger strike. This month, detainees still upset by workplace conditions are holding another strike.

Listen to the segment in the player on this page.

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.