ICE Force-Feeding of Kurdish Asylum Seeker Exposed
· news
The Cruelty of Force-Feeding: A Telling Case of ICE’s Abuses
Gabar Choli, a 40-year-old Kurdish asylum seeker, was subjected to force-feeding twice a day for nearly eight months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. This prolonged period of mistreatment has left him with physical and psychological scars, including swollen sinuses, a damaged esophagus, stomach problems, and the trauma of being repeatedly pinned down by guards while medical staff inserted a feeding tube through his nose.
According to Choli’s account, he was force-fed from late May 2025 until his deportation in January. This is not an isolated incident; an investigation by The Guardian found that since January 2025, ICE used court orders to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding. The actual number may be higher, as sources within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that between January 2025 and August 2026, ICE received a court order for involuntary treatment for 18 hunger strikers.
ICE’s response to allegations of force-feeding is typically dismissive and evasive. Their spokesperson has claimed that force-feeding is only used when an individual’s medical condition presents a serious risk of death or permanent harm, but this statement rings hollow in the face of Choli’s testimony. When confronted with the reality of their actions, ICE officials often retreat behind a veil of bureaucratic doublespeak.
The use of force-feeding by ICE raises fundamental questions about the country’s treatment of migrants and refugees. It is a stark reminder that even those seeking asylum are not treated as human beings but as commodities to be managed and controlled. The fact that Choli was met with such cruelty in an American detention center is a dark reflection on the values that this country claims to uphold.
Dr. Chanelle Diaz, a medical professional who has spoken out against force-feeding, testified about the long-term risks associated with this practice. Force-feeding can cause irreparable damage to an individual’s physical and mental health, leaving them with chronic health problems and psychological trauma.
The case of Gabar Choli is a stark reminder that the US government must take responsibility for perpetuating abuses like force-feeding. It is time for policymakers and human rights organizations to condemn this practice and demand concrete steps to prevent it. The mistreatment of migrants and refugees is a stain on America’s conscience, and it will only continue unless there is a fundamental shift in how these individuals are treated.
Reader Views
- CSCorrespondent S. Tan · field correspondent
The use of force-feeding as a tool of control in ICE detention facilities is a stark manifestation of the dehumanizing nature of America's immigration policies. But what's equally disturbing is the lack of accountability and oversight that enables such practices to persist. While The Guardian's investigation sheds light on the scope of this abuse, it's worth noting that force-feeding often serves as a coercive tactic to silence migrants who are exercising their right to protest their detention or seek asylum. This raises questions about the role of courts in granting these orders and whether they are sufficiently reviewing the circumstances surrounding each case.
- RJReporter J. Avery · staff reporter
The Ghastly Practice of Force-Feeding Must End Now While The Guardian's investigation and Gabar Choli's testimony have shed light on ICE's egregious abuse of force-feeding, a more nuanced look is needed at the role of court orders in enabling these procedures. As long as judges are complicit in authorizing involuntary medical treatments, ICE will continue to exploit loopholes to subject migrants to this cruel practice. It's time for lawmakers to step in and explicitly ban the use of court orders to force-feed detainees, restoring basic human dignity to those seeking asylum.
- ADAnalyst D. Park · policy analyst
The ICE's use of force-feeding as a coercive tool against hunger strikers is a disturbing symptom of a deeper problem: the dehumanization of migrants and refugees. While the agency claims to prioritize medical necessity, the prolonged and repeated use of force-feeding raises questions about its actual motivations. What's strikingly absent from this narrative is an examination of the systemic factors driving these abuses. Until we address the root causes – such as the flawed asylum process and ICE's institutional culture – we can expect more Cholis to suffer at the hands of a system designed to break them, not help them.