ASAM NEWS
Two Sikhs who have been on hunger strike at a detention facility in El Paso have been deported, according to the civil rights group, South Asian Americans Leading Together.
They were a part of a group of nine Sikhs known as the El Paso 9 who have been on hunger strike since at least the beginning of the year. The 9 are seeking asylum.
SAALT says that Amrit Singh, an uncle of two of the El Paso 9 who remain at the facility, was notified of the deportation early Thursday.
AsAmNews was not independently able to confirm the deportations.
“We are outraged by this development,” said Lakshmi Sridaran of SAALT. “The men who were deported yesterday were in no physical condition to travel – much less to a country where their lives are already endangered. The inhumane treatment of individuals in detention facilities across the U.S. is unconscionable. The remaining individuals in the El Paso facility must be released immediately and given adequate medical attention.”
On Valentine’s Day, a court ordered ICE to stop force feeding the hunger strikers in what was considered a victory by supporters of the El Paso 9. However, some of the 9 remain on hunger strike.
“Deportation continues to be used as a final and cruel form of retaliation by ICE to target individuals who have witnessed and speak out against abusive treatment and violation of civil rights,” said Jennifer Apodaca of Detained Migrant Solidarity Network .
“ICE continues its practice of evading accountability by deporting individuals to ensure that those with critical information are gone, essentially erasing evidence. We demand that all deportations be halted immediately until the full set of information is made public.”
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