100 INS Detainees Start Hunger Strike

Nearly 100 detainees at an Immigration and Naturalization Service center on Terminal Island began a hunger strike Wednesday to protest what one described as “horrible” living conditions.

“We’re being treated like animals,” maintained David Kumar, a 27-year-old native of Kashmir, who has been held at the center since early September. “We went for six days without soap and two days without brushing our teeth. We can’t get bonds (for release) so we can go out and live like decent human beings.” INS spokeswoman Virginia Kice denied that the center’s 639 detainees are neglected and blamed the protest on a misunderstanding about its policies on releases. “A lot of them are just confused and upset about immigration procedures,” Rice said.