Kyon Shakeel Swaso, one of the main organizers of the hunger strike taking place at the Adelanto Detention Center, has been deported to Belize after a series of transfers to different detention centers in Texas and Louisiana, according to representatives of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ) and the Immigrant Defenders Legal Center (ImmDef), who have been in contact with him.

This week marks one month since dozens of people at Adelanto and Desert View Annex began a hunger strike led by Swaso and other detained immigrants in response to the report on detention center conditions released by the California Department of Justice, which revealed inhumane conditions that, according to the report, do not even meet ICE's own standards.

"Kyron Swaso's deportation represents a disturbing attempt to silence first-hand testimony about conditions in migrant detention centers across the country. It is impossible to ensure meaningful legal process, transparency, and respect for human dignity when the federal government continues to separate people from their communities and hide them from public view," said Esmeralda Santos, IC4IJ lead organizer. “We demand that ICE and all responsible officials be held accountable for actions that violate fundamental human rights and oversight.”

Swaso's deportation comes just 11 days after he publicly expressed concern about conditions at the center to members of Congress Judy Chu, Pete Aguilar and Jimmy Gomez. That June 1, members of Congress were given a petition signed by 150 people detained at the Adelanto ICE detention center, detailing the poor conditions at the center located in San Bernardino County.

A few days after the visit, representatives of IC4IJ, ImmDef and Shut Down Adelanto, among others, were alerted by the hunger strike participants about the retaliation to which they began to be subjected for speaking publicly about the conditions in the detention center.

The reprisals they described consisted, according to them, of guards taunting detainees with burritos – a food that is not frequently served, but passing them in front of them to crave –, entering participants' cells and dragging them out to solitary confinement, cutting off calls when participants tried to contact their families, and even filing charges against Swaso.

According to IC4IJ, this also included the punishment of six people, subjecting them to disciplinary segregation for 60 days, which generally involves separating these people from the general population and transferring them to an isolation unit for solitary confinement.

In an email sent to La Opinión, DHS maintained that the allegations are false and that Mr. Swaso was transferred to Camp East Montana on June 8 as part of his removal process and was deported on June 12.

"Allegations that Kyron Shakeel Swaso's removal and deportation violated an order from the Central District Court of California are FALSE. His attorneys did not file any order requiring prior notice of removal or transfer in this case," a DHS representative said. "There is no hunger strike in Adelanto. Nobody is being mistreated."

According to a statement from ImmDef, Mr. Swaso was transferred without prior notice from California to Camp East Montana, in El Paso, Texas, and later to the Winn Correctional Center, in Louisiana.

According to ImmDef, Central District Court General Order No. 26-05, the government must notify the applicant, his or her attorney, and the court at least two business days in advance of its intention to remove the applicant outside of the Central District of California. Organizers say neither the court nor the lawyer nor Mr. Swaso himself received any notification of the transfers.

ImmDef stated that it filed a stay of removal and a motion to reopen to continue the process, but on June 12 DHS confirmed to ImmDef that Mr. Swaso had been deported to Belize.

“Mr. Swaso's deportation in no way erases the truth he sought to bring to light about the deplorable conditions at the ICE prison in Adelanto,” said Melissa Shepard, director of legal services at ImmDef. "The Trump administration does not respond to reports of abusive conditions with accountability, but with increasing cruelty. We stand in solidarity with the brave hunger strikers who risk their health and lives to demand basic dignity at Adelanto."

With the goal of achieving greater transparency, Senator Lena González introduced (SB) 423, the Detention Center Transparency Act, to improve access to information about civil rights violations, alleged crimes, and inhumane conditions in private detention centers.

Specifically, SB 423 would amend the California Public Records Law to require local agencies to release records related to 911 calls and other requests for assistance from private detention facilities, information that some members of the press and officials have been unable to obtain in full.

As for Mr. Swaso, not much is known or how he is after what happened. But in a video call interview with L.A. TACO, the man, already deported to Belize, revealed that he was in detention for two years, during which he helped his companions with the questions they had. He also revealed serious allegations, including the firing of two GEO Group staff members after they offered him help and provided him with information about Adelanto's plan to deport him before it happened.

It also alleges that, in addition to the conditions in which detainees live, the facility itself mistreats its staff, often forcing them to work multiple double shifts because new employees constantly quit. For now, ImmDef stated that, even though he has been deported, it will continue to help him with his case and support the efforts of the people who continue to strike at the Adelanto detention center.

"We want the world to know about the injustice that is happening right now. Things have to change. We are trying to get support and return to our families," Mr. Swaso said earlier. "The treatment we received in detention is political. It trickles down from the president to the agencies. Despite everything we are facing, people here continue to support each other and stay united."

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