‘Shoved the tube so hard it tore my nose’: Kurdish film-maker recounts ‘inhumane’ ICE force-feeding

A Kurdish Filmmaker’s Ordeal: Eight Months of Force-Feeding in American Detention

Wanderstayfinder.com – Gabar Choli remembers the moment the feeding tube tore through his nose. The Kurdish filmmaker and activist, now speaking from Canada after his deportation, describes a routine that left him physically battered and emotionally shattered. What began as a hunger strike to protest immigration detention conditions evolved into an eight-month campaign of involuntary medical procedures that Choli says nearly destroyed him.

The Struggle Begins

In June 2025, Choli stood gaunt and weakened inside a solitary confinement medical cell at the Port Isabel service processing center. Located in south Texas, this Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility became home to thousands of immigrants caught in the Trump administration’s intensified deportation campaign. The 40-year-old Kurdish asylum seeker, recognizable by his thick beard and long dark hair, had refused food for more than two months. His demands were straightforward: better conditions for fellow detainees and either release or deportation.

That particular morning, Choli’s nose remained swollen from previous procedures. His throat burned, and the metallic taste of blood lingered from treatments he had never consented to receive. Guards would soon burst into his cell once again, dragging him toward the infirmary for another round of force-feeding.

Two guards would hold my feet; two hold my hands; one hold my head – and they would shove tubes in my nose. It’s not easy to be wrestled to the ground twice a day by men that are stronger than you. And you just take it. You have 60cm of tube going through you and you just feel every centimeter of it.

A Systematic Practice

Choli’s experience was not isolated. Court documents and expert interviews reveal that ICE quietly administered involuntary medical procedures to at least 18 hunger strikers between January 2025 and early August 2026. While the Trump administration never formally acknowledged force-feeding detainees, internal records and Department of Homeland Security sources confirm the practice extended well beyond Choli’s case.

Choli encountered another hunger striker during his detention—an Afghan man who shared his fate in the same facility. Both men refused food as a final act of resistance against harsh conditions and stalled immigration proceedings. Yet their protest brought not relief, but intensified medical intervention.

I was respectful. I just told them I am protesting for humane treatment, nothing else. But they were determined to break me.

Physical and Psychological Toll

The force-feeding process left lasting damage. Court records document Choli’s swollen sinuses, damaged esophagus, and persistent stomach problems. But the physical injuries tell only part of the story. Choli describes nights spent choking on his own blood, drinking the blood that accumulated inside his throat as the feeding tube scraped against his insides.

Without legal representation and with many court records sealed, Choli’s account contains details that remain unverified. Medical staff at Port Isabel did not respond to inquiries about his treatment. Nevertheless, his testimony aligns with broader human rights condemnations of force-feeding as a form of torture.

It just broke me, mentally broke me.

Broader Implications

Choli’s case illuminates a growing trend within American immigration enforcement. The administration’s reliance on court orders to justify involuntary medical procedures represents a significant shift in how detention facilities handle hunger strikes. Rather than allowing detainees to refuse food as a legitimate form protest, ICE increasingly treats refusal as a medical emergency requiring intervention.

The practice carries particular weight for Kurdish asylum seekers like Choli, who often face lengthy detention periods while awaiting resolution of their cases. Many arrive exhausted from journeys through dangerous territories, only to confront new forms of suffering behind bars.

Human rights organizations have long argued that force-feeding violates fundamental principles of bodily autonomy and medical ethics. For Choli and others, the experience transformed what should have been a peaceful protest into a traumatic ordeal. As he reflects on his time in detention, Choli speaks matter-of-factly about events that clearly left deep scars.

The full scope of involuntary treatment in immigration detention remains unclear. DHS sources indicate the number of affected hunger strikers may exceed initial estimates. Whether Choli’s story will prompt policy changes or remain another chapter in America’s immigration detention system remains to be seen.