In the U.S. state of New Mexico, asylum seekers held at the Torrance County Detention Facility say they’re being retaliated against for speaking out about extremely dangerous conditions and for participating in a hunger strike that was broken up last week. 

Albuquerque, October 19 (RHC)-- In the U.S. state of New Mexico, asylum seekers held at the Torrance County Detention Facility say they’re being retaliated against for speaking out about extremely dangerous conditions and for participating in a hunger strike that was broken up last week. 

Orlando de los Santos, a 39-year-old asylum seeker from the Dominican Republic, who helped organize the hunger strike and now faces deportation, said: “Most of the people who participated in the hunger strike have been deported.  Sadly, one of my friends who didn’t want to be deported was taken by force in chains. Everyone is terrified because of the retaliation we’ve faced over the hunger strike.  ICE and Torrance guards know that we are willing to reveal the truth about what actually happens here, and they want to silence us.  They want to shut me up.”

De los Santos has been detained at Torrance, which is run by the private prison corporation CoreCivic, since July.  Lawyers and supporters are demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately halt his removal and deportation back to the Dominican Republic.