Hundreds Refuse Food at North Lake Processing Center

The North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, is facing a hunger and work strike as detained immigrants protest what they describe as dangerous living conditions.

At least 300 men in one unit at the facility began refusing food and work on Monday, according to advocates and people inside the detention center.

The facility, which holds around 1,400 people, is the largest ICE processing center in the Midwest with 1,800 beds. It is privately owned and operated by GEO Group, a private prison company.

"We demand competent doctors, better medical care—the food here is absolute garbage—and, above all, an end to the procedural delays we are suffering through inside these walls," said one immigrant detained at North Lake through a translator.

"We are being held prisoner arbitrarily. The majority of us meet all the requirements to be released, yet judges capriciously deny us bond and the basic rights to which we are entitled. We need to get out of here and to be treated like human beings."

Protests Outside Facility

On Tuesday afternoon, around 30 people gathered outside the North Lake facility, banging drums and chanting in support of the strike.

"Everyone who's in here, their humanity is being eroded," said Erin Madden Reed, who drove over from Ludington to support the detainees.

"Everyone I've been speaking with has had a deportation order, but has still been held here for months and months. So like, what are we doing?" said Diana Marin, an Ann Arbor-based attorney with clients at the facility.

Legal Challenges

The strike comes amid increasing challenges to the detention practices at North Lake.

Lawmakers have called for an investigation into reports of medical negligence at the facility after 56-year-old Nenko Ganchev died in custody.

Ganchev was a Bulgarian national who was arrested by ICE at an immigration appointment in Chicago. He was taken to Baldwin and died months later. His family is accusing the facility of denying him life-saving medical treatment.

Fernando Ramirez, a West Michigan man who was held at North Lake for five months, said he had his medication kept from him.

"There are complaints regarding the lack of expediency in case processing, a lack of sound judgment and impartiality in judges' rulings, the mass denial of cases, and a lack of legal aid," said another person detained at North Lake through a translator.

"I don't know why I'm sitting here, I want deportation," said Ahmad Alnajdawi, who is from Jordan and was detained in Michigan. He was participating in the hunger strike, along with 300 of the men in his unit.

"I'm not fighting my case, I'm not applying for bond, I'm waiving my right for asylum, appeal, for everything... I just want to go back to my home." He hopes to rejoin his wife, who is pregnant and expecting a baby in May.

Private Prison Company Responds

The center is privately owned by GEO Group, a private prison organization that has a contract with ICE.

A GEO Group spokesperson issued a statement:

"We are proud of the role our company has played for 40 years to support the law enforcement mission of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Over the last four decades, our innovative support service solutions have helped the federal government implement the policies of seven different Presidential Administrations."

"In all instances, our support services are monitored by ICE, including by on-site agency personnel, and other organizations within the Department of Homeland Security to ensure compliance with ICE's detention standards and contract requirements regarding the treatment and services ICE detainees receive."

"At locations where GEO provides health care services, individuals are provided with access to teams of medical professionals including physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Ready access to off-site medical specialists, imaging facilities, Emergency Medical Services, and local community hospitals is also provided when needed."

The company said all GEO ICE Processing Centers are independently accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

ICE Operations Have Increased

Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have ramped up nationwide.

About 1,000 of those detainees have consistently been held at North Lake, according to No Detention Centers in Michigan, a nonprofit organization.

The nonprofit says hundreds of those people have been found to be unlawfully detained.

According to the most recent data from ICE, the average stay at North Lake is 49 days, though advocates, attorneys, and detainees confirm many detainees have been there for almost six months.

Legal advocacy groups, including the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, are calling for a Congressional investigation into conditions at the facility following the ongoing hunger and work strike.

Detainees began the strike on April 20 to protest poor living conditions, inadequate medical care, and prolonged detention, including being held without bond for extended periods.

By early Wednesday morning, reports from inside the facility suggest at least one unit had stopped its hunger strike.

13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to ICE for comment, but has not heard back.