Hunger Strikes and Force Feedings

       No matter your stance on immigration and the rules and laws that come as a byproduct, some things should be universally viewed as unacceptable.
       Recent developments have revealed that nine men (including three new individuals, up from six late last month) are being force-fed at an El Paso detention facility. The force-feedings come as a result of a court order that seeks to prevent immigrants from performing hunger strikes so that they may continue to live. While, in my view, this is not necessarily a bad thing in itself, the way that US Customs and Immigration officials are going about it is disgusting, in both a literal and figurative sense. Insider information suggests that feeding tubes are inserted up victims' noses, where nutrients are supplied to the point of vomiting. When the detainees requested pillows so that the force feedings would be slightly more bearable, they were refused.
       The incidents detailed reflect a wider issue on the treatment of those trying to enter the country illegally. Despite my own personal convictions and cautions against open immigration, there are several standards and protocols that must be followed by professionals, especially those in a position of working for the government. Ultimately, these acts seem as excuses for government officials to act cruelly against detainees. In reality, most of the workers likely couldn't care less about the well-being of these individuals, and, from orders on keeping them alive, will simply find a way to exert power in whatever way they can. ICE claims that they are simply "monitoring the food and water intake" of the detainees, but, as I have said, evidence suggests otherwise. Furthermore, because the detainees in question hail from India, it reveals to the American public that it isn't only Hispanic and Latino immigrants that are being subject to injustice.
       The fate of the well-being of those trying to enter the country illegally does not bode well under any president, Democrat or Republican, as the past has repeatedly shown. The actions of these unnamed officers against these men are absolutely reprehensible. If you want to strengthen borders and put less tolerance on illegal immigration, then do it. But that gives no excuse to engage in acts of torture that violate basic human rights.

Source:
Ap, Associated Press. “Three More People Being Force Fed at El Paso Immigration Facility.” KFOX, Sinclair Broadcast Group, 2 Feb. 2019, kfoxtv.com/news/local/nine-people-now-being-force-fed-at-el-paso-immigration-facility.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Emily Routbort Mr. Roddy GPHC R 20 September 2018 Social Sustainability Addressing social sustainability is a challenge for many places in the world. Social sustainability works to reduce factors that negatively affect human social well being (p. 61 in the reading). Some examples of social sustainability issues are corruption, unfit healthcare and education, disempowerment of women, and social inequality. These problems should be dealt with after fulfilling basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and rest. From another standpoint, you might find to achieve economic and environmental sustainability, you must achieve social sustainability before other proceeding to solve economic and environmental issues. My reasoning for this is because you should have a strong established base that you can work off of (where everyone is working in harmony) so we can then proceed to work on other issues. In most of the world though, this is not the case (considering that you place s...
Read more

Domestic Violence Survivors Access to Shelter - Social Sustainability

Anna Kaplan Mr. Roddy GPHC Domestic Violence Survivors Access to Shelter - Social Sustainability Many people in the country suffer from and escape dangerous domestic violence situations in their own homes. These people often bring their children with them to escape the threat, but once they have left their home they are faced with a new problem: homelessness. Many of these people have no where to go so they try to go to a type of shelter or living facility, but many places discriminate against domestic violence survivors. In Rhode Island, 64.8% of domestic violence shelter requests were unmet. This being the highest amount in the country in 2013. Many states don't even have enough fair laws protecting people from being discriminated while trying to obtain shelter. As president, I would propose that all states must have at least three shelters that cater to particularly this need. These shelters would also have an emergency shelter service to help survivors in immediate need. ...
Read more

State of the Dis-Union?

Image
Donald Trump will be getting his State of the Union Speech after all, after Nancy Pelosi threatened him with the removal of that possibility during the longest ever government shutdown. Many are wondering what exactly Mr. Trump could be planning to address at the speech, and whether or not he will continue to pursue his harsh rhetoric on immigration, which was the primary cause for gridlock during the shutdown where he refused to sign spending bills without a $5.7 billion dollar allocation for a "southern border wall." . Although there is some hope that perhaps the President has come to his senses about the issue, and is willing to compromise and work with the new Democratic majority in the House, the likelihood of that is doubtful, as there are also speculations that he will declare a National Emergency tonight to bypass Congress for his funds. This will certainly die a slow death in the court system, ultimately costing the government a fortune and accomplishing nothing. ...
Read more