Kyron Shakeel Swaso Deported After Facing Retaliation for Organizing Adelanto Hunger Strike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 12, 2026

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Kyron Shakeel Swaso Deported After Facing Retaliation for Organizing Adelanto Hunger Strike

Hunger Strike at Adelanto ICE prison continues for 24 days without acknowledgement from DHS or improved conditions

LOS ANGELES, CA -   Kyon Shakeel Swaso, a leading organizer of the ongoing hunger strike at Adelanto ICE prison, has been deported to Belize after a series of unlawful transfers to various detention facilities in Texas and Louisiana. The hunger strike began in response to the California Department of Justice report on the conditions of California detention centers. His deportation comes just 11 days after he publicly raised concerns about conditions within the facility with members of Congress and his lawyers. 

On June 10, 2026, Mr. Swaso had been transferred out from California without notice to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, and again to the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. According to the Central District Court General Order No. 26-05, the government must provide at least two court days’ notice to the petitioner, their counsel, and the Court of its intent to remove the petitioner from the Central District of California. Neither the Court, the attorney, nor Mr. Swaso himself ever received notice of the transfers. These detention facilities have faced scrutiny over dehumanizing conditions that led to multiple deaths. Winn Correctional Center announced the latest death in detention this week, bringing the total number of reported deaths in ICE custody to at least 51 since President Trump returned to office. 

ImmDef filed a Stay of Removal and a Motion to Reopen before to continue his proceedings, but on June 12 DHS confirmed to ImmDef that Mr. Swaso was deported to Belize.

“The deportation of Mr. Swaso does nothing to erase the truth he tried to bring to light about the deplorable conditions in Adelanto ICE Prison,” said Melissa Shepard, legal services director at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). “The Trump administration meets reports of abusive conditions not with accountability, but with escalating cruelty. We stand in solidarity with the courageous hunger strikers who are risking their health and their lives to demand basic dignity inside Adelanto. We remain unwavering in our commitment to defend their rights and call on California leaders to join us by making a commitment to support removal defense for people in detention."

“The deportation of Kyron Swaso represents a disturbing attempt to silence firsthand accounts of conditions inside immigrant detention centers across the country. Meaningful due process, transparency, and respect for human dignity are impossible when the federal government continues to separate people from their communities and remove them from public view. We call on ICE and all responsible officials to be held accountable for policies that undermine fundamental human rights and oversight,” said Esmeralda Santos, Lead Organizer at the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. 

Prior to his deportation, Mr. Swaso issued the following statement: 

“We want the world to know about the injustice that is happening right now. We are especially worried about the people participating in the hunger strike who are suffering the most, including people with medical conditions like diabetes who are refusing food and medication. Things need to change. We are trying to get support and get back to our families, said Kyron Shakeel Swaso, a detained participant and leading organizer of the Adelanto hunger strike. “The treatment in detention is political. It trickles down from the President to the agencies. Despite everything we are facing, people here continue to support one another and stand together in unity. 

“We want this place shut down and we want to be released. Every detention facility needs to be closed because they are not following procedures. Our due process rights are being violated. They are using taxpayer dollars to abuse immigrants. The things they say publicly do not match what we are living through. People here cannot get proper medical care, cannot afford attorneys, cannot pay bond, and many feel forced to give up and sign deportation paperwork. We are being treated like animals,” he said.

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The Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a next-generation social justice law firm that defends immigrant communities against injustices in the immigration system. Our programs are a first step towards realizing the long-term goal of providing universal representation to all immigrants facing deportation. ImmDef is now the largest non‐profit, pro bono provider of deportation defense in California, with offices in Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Ana, and San Diego.