PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Advocates said nearly 100 detainees are on a hunger strike at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County to protest conditions inside the facility.
Detainees told Pennlive.com that following a medical emergency, a growing number of detainees have joined a hunger strike that began Thursday.
Detainees reported that meals often consist of stale bread, curdled milk, or milk with black flecks, and one detainee told PennLive that his water had worms floating in it.
The group is demanding better medical care and food from The GEO Group, the private prison firm that operates Moshannon.
The Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition said in a statement on Friday that it is demanding the immediate release of detainees who are sick and on hunger strike, and is calling on Clearfield County Commissioners to end their contracts with ICE and GEO Group.
Previous reports by the ACLU-PA and Temple University's School of Law in 2024 noted spoiled, unhealthy, and insufficient food and cases of medical neglect. Since Moshannon opened in 2021, at least 3 people have died in the facility's custody.
KYW was unable to reach officials at Moshannon Valley or GEO Group for comment.
