Full Breakdown
Kurdish Hunger Striker Gabar Choli Endures Eight-Month Force-Feeding in ICE Detention
8/11/2026, 12:56:06 AM
Core Event: Prolonged Force-Feeding of a Hunger Striker
Gabar Choli, a Kurdish filmmaker and activist, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an ICE check-in on February 25, 2025. While his asylum claim remained pending, he began a hunger strike to protest detention conditions. ICE obtained a court order and, from late May 2025 until his deportation in January 2026, subjected him to twice-daily force-feeding via a nasogastric tube. Choli reports that guards restrained him, nurses inserted the tube forcefully, and he suffered injuries to his nose, sinuses, esophagus, and stomach, as well as lasting psychological trauma.
Background & Context
Hunger strikes have become a common form of protest in ICE facilities. An investigation by *The Guardian* found that during the second Trump administration ICE used court orders to force-feed at least ten hunger strikers; Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources later disclosed that between January 2025 and August 4, 2026 ICE obtained court orders for involuntary medical treatment for 18 hunger strikers. ICE and DHS describe such interventions as “involuntary medical treatment” intended to prevent imminent life-threatening harm. International human-rights groups, however, classify force-feeding as torture.
Data & Statistics
- 18 hunger strikers received court-ordered involuntary medical treatment (DHS sources, *The Guardian*).
- Choli’s force-feeding lasted approximately eight months.
- Documented injuries include swollen sinuses, esophageal damage, and stomach problems (court records, *The Guardian*).
Official Statements & Responses
- U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera denied Choli’s request for legal representation and repeatedly extended the force-feeding order at ICE’s request.
On-the-Ground Reports
Choli described the procedure in detail: guards pinned his feet and hands, held his head, and forced a plastic tube through his nose into his stomach.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was respectful. I just told them I am protesting for humane treatment, nothing else,” — Gabar Choli, an immigration judge
- “It just broke me, mentally broke me,” — Gabar Choli, an immigration judge
- “Two guards would hold my feet; two hold my hands; one hold my head—and they would shove tubes in my nose,” — Gabar Choli, an immigration judge
What’s Next
No further court hearings or ICE policy changes have been announced. Advocacy groups continue to document force-feeding cases and press for stricter oversight of ICE medical practices.
