Exclusive: court orders seen by Guardian show agency given approval to fit Texas detainee with tube without his consent

ICE given permission to force-feed Cuban hunger striker with gastric tube Exclusive: court orders seen by Guardian show agency given approval to fit Texas detainee with tube without his consent José Olivares in New York Sat 5 Sep 2026 06.00 EDT Prefer the Guardian on Google Federal immigration officials quietly received permission from a judge in recent weeks to force-feed a detained Cuban hunger striker inside a Texas detention center, including with the use of a rare, nonconsensual surgical procedure, court records reveal.

The man is likely the 19th hunger striker in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention where the agency has had an application approved to conduct “involuntary medical procedures” since January 2025. The rising number of cases under the second Trump administration has alarmed advocates amid wide-ranging accusations of mistreatment inside facilities nationwide.

Court orders from the southern district of Texas federal court seen by the Guardian suggest ICE followed through with force-feeding via a nasal tube on the Cuban man in August, since agency officials successfully requested this week that the court order be extended. He is currently detained at the Montgomery ICE processing center, a privately-run detention facility near Houston.