Kurdish film-maker describes being force-fed by ICE during months-long hunger strike
Kurdish film-maker Gabar Choli says US immigration authorities force-fed him for nearly eight months at a Texas detention center after he went on hunger strike. A Guardian investigation found ICE has sought court orders for involuntary treatment of at least 18 hunger strikers since January 2025.
Gabar Choli, a 40-year-old Kurdish film-maker and advocate for an independent Kurdistan, has spoken publicly for the first time about being force-fed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while held in detention. He told the Guardian that guards repeatedly restrained him and staff inserted a feeding tube through his nose during a prolonged hunger strike.
Choli came to Canada from Iran in 2007 and later crossed into the US in 2022 to seek asylum. A judge denied his asylum claim in 2024 but granted him protection from deportation to Iran. After Donald Trump returned to office and pursued mass deportations, Choli was arrested at a routine ICE check-in in February 2025.
While detained, he said he was pressured to sign a deportation order to Iran, which he refused. He began a hunger strike in March 2025 to protest detention conditions and his case. He was later transferred to the Port Isabel facility in Texas, where ICE obtained a court order allowing involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding. The order was issued without Choli, who had no lawyer, being heard by the judge.
Choli described being pinned down by guards, restrained at the wrists and ankles, and having a tube forced through his nose while medical staff pumped in nutritional liquid. He said the process left him with sinus swelling, damage to his esophagus and lasting psychological trauma. Medical and human rights experts who reviewed limited court records said the practice likely amounts to torture and violates patient autonomy.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE respects the right to refuse treatment but may seek judicial authorization when a detainee's condition poses serious risk. Agency sources told the Guardian that between January 2025 and August 2026, ICE obtained court orders for involuntary treatment of at least 18 hunger strikers. Choli was deported in January 2026 and now lives in Canada.
