Detainees at GEO-Run Folkston ICE Center in Georgia Begin Hunger Strike; Advocates Count at Least 73

Detainees at the Folkston D. Ray James ICE Processing Center in southern Georgia began a hunger strike on October 6, a campaign spokesperson told local broadcaster WSAV, per Mediazona. Advocates estimate at least 73 people have joined, according to the Guardian. The center is run by the private prison company GEO Group under contract with ICE. The strikers want to be released while their asylum cases continue.

Russian asylum seekers held there released a document alleging substandard medical care, threats by GEO Group guards, moldy food and a lack of due process; these are allegations. Mediazona reports ICE’s own inspectors found the facility compliant with 22 of 24 detention standards after a June 2026 visit, none of the 28 detainees interviewed alleged mistreatment, and the facility had been given four weeks’ notice of the inspection. Both outlets relay the Guardian’s reporting; the Guardian article itself was not retrieved.