[Pnews] As Tacoma Hunger Strike Enters 21st day, Army Veteran Put in Solitary Confinement for Suggesting Work Stoppage

[Prisoner News]

*As Hunger Strike Enters 21st day, Detained Army Veteran Put in Solitary 
Confinement for Suggesting Work Stoppage in Addition to Hunger Strike*

Tacoma, WA -- As the hunger strike at the Northwest Detention Center 
enters its 21st day, Hassall Moses, detained immigrant and U.S. army 
veteran, faced swift retaliation after suggesting hunger striking 
detainees add a work stoppage to their peaceful protest. Attorneys 
visiting hunger strikers were informed that Mr. Moses had been pulled 
from the general population after attempting to print a letter calling 
for a work stoppage. Audio of Mr. Moses explaining being placed in 
solitary confinement has been obtained and is available upon request.

In the recording made on March 26th, Mr. Moses states he is in solitary 
confinement "Because I tried to type up a letter making a work stop 
protest." He explains, "I got put into segregation last night. I printed 
out a letter asking my fellow detainees to come together as one people, 
united." He goes on to describe how his letter was intercepted by a GEO 
employee, who "called the Sergeant and they put me in segregation." He 
describes his reasons for calling for a work stoppage, stating, 
"Basically this facility is run by the detainees, and that if everybody 
stopped working, we could negotiate the pay raise, because right now 
everybody is working for a dollar. We could talk about the quality of 
the food, the living conditions." He explains that he has been detained 
for 21 months, fighting his deportation without legal representation, 
and is "just trying to do this for my kids." Between 80% and 90% of 
those detained at the Northwest Detention Center navigate their 
deportation cases before the Immigration Court without legal counsel.

Dozens of individuals continue on hunger strike in the Northwest 
Detention Center. They remain committed to their demands for improved 
detention conditions and a moratorium on deportations, and are calling 
for their release to their families and communities. At the Joe Corley 
Detention Facility in Conroe, Texas, where detained immigrants last week 
began a hunger strike of their own, ACLU attorneys were denied access to 
hunger strikers yesterday, and concerns over ICE's retaliation continue 
to grow. Both hunger strikers and outside supporters are gearing up for 
the April 5th national day of action to mark two million deportations 
under the Obama Administration, with a large rally planned that day 
outside the gates of the Tacoma facility.


###
Maru Mora Villalpando
Latino Advocacy
www.latinoadvocacy.org <http://www.latinoadvocacy.org>
206-251-6658 <tel:206-251-6658>


-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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