ICE Detainees Held at NORCOR Facility in The Dalles Pause Hunger Strike

Complaints include lousy food, lack of recreation and lack of legal services.

(Garbriel Green)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The group Gorge ICE Advocacy announced Sunday morning that people detained by the federal Immigration Customs Enforcement agency at the NORCOR facility in The Dalles have paused their hunger strike after four days.

Detainees held an earlier six-day hunger strike in May. In both cases, they have protested what they and advocates say is inadequate food and lack of access to family members, medical care and legal aid.

NOCOR is a publicly-owned regional jail that serves Wasco, Hood River, Sherman and Gilliam counties and houses up to 40 ICE detainees on a contract with federal authorities.

Related: Why is an Oregon county jail holding ICE detainees in a sanctuary state?

“We are relieved that the hunger strikers are eating again, but sorely disappointed it took four days without food to get NORCOR to provide basic items like milk, decent shoes and doctor visits,” said Rosie Schneider of Gorge ICE Resistance in a statement today. “The Dalles is a tight knit community of people who take care of each other, and I question whether NORCOR shares our values and uses our tax dollars appropriately.”

A petition seeking to end ICE's use of NORCOR has gathered more than 300 signatures so far.

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