Kurdish hunger striker recounts eight-month ICE force-feeding ordeal

Gabar Choli, a Kurdish activist deported from the United States, described how ICE force-fed him for eight months during a hunger strike, saying the practice left him physically and mentally broken.

Kurdish filmmaker and activist Gabar Choli, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his asylum claim was denied, endured a prolonged force-feeding regimen while on hunger strike at the Port Isabel federal detention center in Texas. Beginning in late May 2025, ICE guards physically restrained him as medical personnel inserted a feeding tube through his nose, delivering nutrition twice a day for eight months until his January 2026 deportation.

Court filings reveal that ICE secured judicial authorization for the procedure, labeling it an "involuntary medical treatment" needed to avert imminent death or serious harm. Choli recounted painful episodes, including a nurse forcing the tube so hard it tore his nasal passage, leading to bleeding and solitary confinement. Medical records confirm injuries such as swollen sinuses and esophageal damage, and experts interviewed describe the practice as torture. The case appears to be the longest documented instance of force-feeding in ICE custody, highlighting broader concerns about secretive medical interventions in immigration detention.