Dear Friend,

Cruz Martinez has been on a hunger strike for weeks, but he refuses to
stop "until I drop."(1)

Martinez is one of the dozens of prisoners who is striking in protest of
his treatment by the GEO Group -- a for-profit prison company -- that has
abused immigrant detainees at the Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex ICE
detention centers. He has been forced to do hard labor for $1 a day, fed
rotten food, and kept waiting for critical medical care.

Now Martinez and four other detainees have filed a class-action lawsuit
against ICE and the GEO Group.(2) And we can help their cause.

Courage California is supporting the MV-GSA Hunger Strike Support
Committee, who is working to provide stipends and legal funds for the
strikers, and we’re putting pressure on the Department of Public Health to
investigate the facilities. Can we count on you to keep this critical work
going and stop the abuse at the GEO Group ICE centers?

[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to help stop the abuse of immigrant detainees in the
Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex centers? 70% of your donation will fund
the MV-GSA Hunger Strike Support Committee and 30% will support Courage
California’s work.

[ [link removed] ]Donate

The people in ICE’s custody are awaiting court dates for immigration
hearings, and many of them wait a year or more.

The GEO Group is taking advantage of a broken immigration system to turn a
huge profit -- $26.7 million on these two facilities alone.(3) The
corporation makes these profits not only by using detainees to perform
work instead of hiring a protected staff of janitors, launderers, and
facilities managers, but also by serving spoiled, expired food. Then the
people in the centers are compelled to buy overpriced food from the
commissary, putting more money in the GEO Group’s pockets.(4)

These hunger strikers are fighting for their dignity and the right to
refuse to perform slave labor for the GEO Group, and in return, the guards
at the facilities are harassing them and the GEO Group is threatening to
force-feed them, against medical advice.(5)

Courage California members can ensure that the spotlight stays on this
abuse until the Department of Public Health steps in. And 70% of your
donation will go directly to support the hunger strikers in their quest
for justice. Will you donate today?

[ [link removed] ]Yes, I’ll chip in to help stop the tragic situation in the Mesa Verde
and Golden State Annex ICE processing centers.

Thanks for your critical support.

–Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Lindsay, Mai, Mai, and Scottie
(and the rest of the Courage team) 

[ [link removed] ]Donate

PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state
and country. [ [link removed] ]Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work?

Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more
progressive California and country. Follow us now on [ [link removed] ]Facebook or
[ [link removed] ]Twitter!

Footnotes:
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

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