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A Kurdish filmmaker and activist has publicly detailed his experience being force-fed while detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over an eight-month period. Gabar Choli, who is now living in Canada after being deported, revealed that he underwent the coercive procedure repeatedly during his time at a detention facility in south Texas following the denial of his asylum request.
Choli initiated a hunger strike to protest conditions at the facility and seek resolution of his immigration case. In response, detention center staff restrained him multiple times daily while medical personnel inserted feeding tubes and administered nutritional liquids. Choli described the experience as deeply traumatic, stating it caused severe psychological damage alongside physical harm.
According to a Guardian investigation, ICE obtained court orders authorizing involuntary medical treatment for 18 hunger strikers between January 2025 and August 2026. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that such interventions occur only when medical conditions pose serious risks of death or permanent harm. International human rights organizations, however, widely characterize force-feeding as a form of torture.
Choli’s account marks the first public statement from someone subjected to this practice, bringing attention to practices that have largely remained concealed within immigration detention facilities across successive administrations.
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Originally reported by Theguardian →
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