Updates from Sanjar - April 23, 2026 | Inside ICE Detention: Escalating Human Rights Violations, Coercion Tactics, & Systemic Failures
- @tkwcoach
- Apr 24
- 11 min read
Before You Read, You Need to Understand One Thing
He entered legally. He worked legally.
Before anyone assumes this is a simple immigration story, please read this fully.
Sanjar did not sneak into this country.
He built a life here.
And he was still detained.
And based on what he is reporting from inside, he is not the only one.
Myth vs. Fact: ICE Detention Does Not Mean Someone Came Here Illegally
Myth: Everyone in ICE detention came here illegally.
Fact: Sanjar reports that many detainees inside have legal status pathways, work authorization, or ongoing immigration processes.
Myth: If someone is detained, they must have done something wrong.
Fact: Detention is part of a process - not a final judgment.
Myth: If someone is detained, they must not have rights.
Fact: Detainees still have human rights, religious rights, medical rights, and due process protections.
Myth: Self-deportation is just a choice; people can just "choose to leave" if they don't like it.
Fact: A "choice" made under hunger, sleep deprivation, medical neglect, humiliation, and pressure while being cut off from support is not a free or fair decision.
What Changed in 24 Hours
Yesterday, I shared the first updates from my calls with Sanjar inside ICE detention.
Today, I need everyone to understand this clearly:
Things have not gotten better. They have gotten worse.
In less than 24 hours, what started as deeply concerning reports has escalated into a pattern of:
Human rights violations
Religious discrimination
Medical neglect
Sanitation failures
Psychological pressure
All happening inside the Florida Baker Correctional Institute ICE detention facility.
This is not just about Sanjar anymore.
This is about what is happening to human beings inside this facility - right now.
And once you hear it, you cannot unhear it.
What Sanjar Reported in the Last 24 Hours
Here is exactly what was shared across our calls:
Muslim and vegetarian detainees cannot access food they can eat
Men are now going 2-3 days without eating
Toilet paper has been unavailable
Request forms are given - but no pens to complete them
Medication is being given incorrectly
~100 men are held in one dorm
Approximately 50' x 50' area
Double bunk beds are approximately 2' apart (50 in room)
Only 9 phones for ~100 people
Only 4-5 toilets and ~5 showers
Same clothes worn for nearly 2 weeks
Bedding not regularly cleaned
Blankets exist - but are not being given out
Detainees are being pressured to give up their cases
People are removed overnight and replaced with new detainees
This is not speculation.
This is what is being reported directly from inside.
Escalating Human Rights Violations Inside ICE Detention
Religious Rights Violations Leading to Hunger Strikes
Sanjar shared that Muslim detainees are still not being placed on no-pork meal lists, and vegetarian detainees are being forced to choose between starvation or violating their beliefs.
Multiple men are now on day 2 or 3 without eating.
"We just decided not to eat until it is resolved... we cannot eat what they give us."
This is not about preference.
This is about basic religious rights and access to food.
Why This Matters
Food is not optional. When someone cannot eat what is provided and is denied alternatives that exist, that becomes deprivation - not inconvenience.
The Pattern
Requests are made.
Requests are ignored.
People go hungry.
Denial of Basic Hygiene and Sanitation
Sanjar reported that toilet paper was unavailable. For the entire dorm.
When he asked for it, he was told to submit a request form.
When he asked for a pen to complete the form, they refused - and then they laughed.
"They give request form... but no pen. They just laugh."
Think about that.
A grown man, detained in the United States, asking for toilet paper and a pen so he can make a basic request - and he is laughed at.
This is humiliation.
This is deprivation.
This is a system making people beg for the most basic human needs.
And it is important to understand the practical problem here: the facility requires detainees to submit written requests, but detainees do not have access to pens.
Why This Matters
A request system that cannot actually be used is not access.
This is not a shortage problem. This is a breakdown in basic human dignity.
The Pattern
A process exists.
Access is blocked.
Needs go unmet.
Medical Neglect and Improper Medication Handling
Sanjar described a medical condition that requires medication at a specific time.
Instead, he is being given medication at the wrong time, in the wrong way, and his repeated requests for correction have been ignored.
"I'm suffering... I sent 5-10 requests."
He is not asking for special treatment. He is asking for his medication to be given in a way that actually works.
What This Means
Medication timing matters. Dosage matters. Access matters.
When those are ignored, the result is not just discomfort - it can become serious health risk.
The Pattern
Requests are submitted.
Requests are delayed or ignored.
Health deteriorates.
Overcrowding and Inhumane Living Conditions
Sanjar confirmed again that approximately 100 men are being held in one dorm area.
He described bunk beds spaced less than two feet apart.
He described limited access to phones, toilets, and showers.
He previously said there are about 9 phones for around 100 people, and only 4-5 toilets and about 5 showers.
"It's like animals... nowhere to put your leg."
And today, he explained something even more disturbing:
The limited phone access is causing conflict between detainees.
Overcrowding is creating emotional pressure.
And the environment appears to be designed, or at minimum allowed, to break people.
This matters because phones are not just for comfort.
Phones are how detainees reach attorneys.
Phones are how they call family.
Phones are how they ask for help.
Phones are how people outside learn what is happening inside.
When 100 people are trying to reach family, attorneys, loved ones, and advocates - and there are only 9 phones - the system itself creates tension.
Why This Matters
This is not just uncomfortable.
This affects:
Mental health
Conflict levels
Ability to communicate with family and attorneys
The Pattern
Limited resources → increased stress → increased conflict → emotional breakdown
Lack of Clean Clothing, Bedding, and Basic Care
Sanjar also shared that he has the same two sets of clothes he's been wearing for about two weeks.
He said bedding has not been regularly changed.
He said men are washing underwear, socks, and pillowcases by hand in the sink (if they have soap).
He also shared that it took nearly two weeks to receive a blanket, even though he has a thyroid condition and was freezing.
Even worse, he says he could see blankets available in the laundry area - but they were not being given out.
"I saw tons of blankets... they don't give." / "Maybe for 100 people I saw maybe 10 guys have a warm blanket."
That is the part that keeps staying with me.
It is one thing if supplies do not exist.
It is another thing entirely if supplies exist and people are still left cold.
Why This Matters
This does not sound like a supply issue.
It sounds like a distribution and control issue.
And it contributes to physical suffering, illness risk, and psychological exhaustion.
When someone is cold, hungry, wearing the same clothes, sleeping on unwashed beds, struggling medically, and unable to access food that aligns with their faith, that person is not just being detained.
They are being worn down.
The Pattern
Resources exist.
Distribution is restricted.
People suffer anyway.
Legal & Due Process Concerns Emerging
Failure to Inform of Rights
Sanjar said that after he was detained, he was not clearly informed of his rights or next steps.
When I asked whether anyone explained his rights or next steps at each stage, his answer was simple:
"No. Nothing at all."
That matters.
People cannot meaningfully defend themselves if they do not know what is happening, what their rights are, or what comes next.
This is especially important when the public does not understand how immigration detention works.
Missing Personal Property & Documentation
Sanjar also reported that during the arrest process, ICE officers took his driver's license, medical card, and work authorization out of his wallet after he was handcuffed.
He says those items were not properly listed on the property inventory.
"They took... but not on the list."
These are not random belongings.
These are important documents.
They may be directly relevant to his identity, legal status, medical needs, and ability to defend himself.
Why This Matters
If important documents are taken but not logged, that raises serious concerns about:
Property handling
Documentation
Chain of custody
And access to evidence needed for legal defense
It also raises an obvious question:
How is someone supposed to prove who they are, what documents they have, or what status they hold if the very documents they need are taken and not properly recorded?
Detention of People With Legal Pathways or Work Authorization
One of the most alarming parts of today's call was Sanjar's estimate that many other people inside may also have legal status, work authorization, pending immigration matters, or other lawful documentation.
He estimated that around 35-40 people in a dorm of about 100 in an approximately 50' x 50' space are fighting for their cases and may have work authorization, I-94 parole documentation, pending immigration matters, or other legal pathways.
"40 people... have work authorization... pending asylum."
This is huge.
Because the public is often told one simple story about immigration detention.
But what Sanjar is describing is much more complicated.
He is describing people who were working, driving trucks, supporting families, following legal processes, and still being detained.
This directly challenges the assumption that everyone inside is "illegal".
That assumption is not only inaccurate - it is dangerous as it allows people to dismiss human suffering before they understand the facts.
Emerging Pattern: Coercion Toward Self-Deportation
This is the part I need everyone to understand.
Sanjar is not just describing bad conditions. He is describing a pattern that appears to pressure people into giving up their legal cases.
He said detainees are repeatedly reminded that if they do not like it, they can choose self-deportation.
He said the conditions are so hard that people get tired and give up.
"They make it very hard... people get tired and give up."
Sanjar says detainees are being told things like:
Why not choose self-deportation?
If you give up, you may go home within 30 days.
For men who are hungry, cold, sick, sleep-deprived, disconnected from family, and unable to access attorneys easily, that kind of message carries weight.
It is not neutral.
That is not due process.
That is pressure.
That is psychological coercion.
That is taking people who may have legal rights and making the conditions so unbearable that surrender feels like the only way out.
Conditions Designed to Break Resistance - What This Looks Like in Practice
The same issues keep showing up:
food deprivation
religious diet denial
medical neglect
lack of hygiene supplies
sleep deprivation
overcrowding
limited phone access
lack of bedding and clean clothes
ignored requests
humiliation by staff
repeated discouragement
And then an "option" is presented:
Give up.
Each issue alone is serious.
Together, they tell a much darker story.
That is why conditions matter.
That is why detention standards matter.
That is why outside pressure matters.
Disappearances at Night
Sanjar also described people being removed at night. He said men disappear overnight, and new people appear.
"You wake up... empty places... new faces."
He does not know exactly where they are going. But he believes some are people who gave up their cases.
That image of a constant rotation of people being worn down is haunting.
What This Suggests
Based on what Sanjar is reporting, the cycle resembles:
Create unbearable conditions.
Delay or ignore requests.
Limit meaningful communication.
Apply pressure to self-deport.
Replace those who leave with new detainees.
Repeat.
That should concern every single person reading this.
Even people with different political views should be able to agree on this:
No one should be starved out of their rights.
No one should be denied medication into surrender.
No one should be humiliated into silence.
No one should be forced to choose between their faith and food.
No one should be pressured to abandon their legal case because detention conditions become unbearable.
What the Data Suggests From Inside Reports
Sanjar's reports give us several urgent data points from inside the facility:
Up to 40% of people in his dorm may have legal standing or pending immigration claims.
Multiple men are on hunger strike or not eating because their religious and dietary needs are not being met.
Every day, he observes people giving up or disappearing from the dorm.
New detainees are brought in regularly.
Phone access is limited to 9 phones for about 100 people.
Sanitation supplies, bedding, clothing, and medical care appear inconsistent or delayed.
This points to a facility environment where people are not merely waiting.
They are being pressured.
They are being worn down.
And those with fewer resources, less English fluency, no outside advocate, or no attorney may be especially vulnerable.
That last point matters deeply. Sanjar has people fighting for him.
Sanjar has community.
Sanjar has people listening.
But what about the men who do not?
What about the men who do not speak English well?
What about the men whose families do not know who to call?
What about the men who cannot explain their legal status clearly?
What about the men who are assumed guilty simply because they are detained?
That is why we are sharing this.
Not only for Sanjar.
For everyone inside who does not have a voice loud enough to reach the outside.
What I Did After These Calls
After these calls I followed up directly.
I started escalating the urgent issues Sanjar identified.
This is not just being documented.
It is being acted on.
And we will continue pushing.
I also want to be clear about this: these calls are not gossip. They are not drama. They are not political theater.
They are documentation.
They are witness accounts.
They are a record of what Sanjar is experiencing in real time.
And when someone inside detention is reporting hunger, medical issues, sanitation failures, and pressure to give up legal rights, the responsible thing to do is not look away.
The responsible thing to do is escalate.
How This Builds on Day 1
Yesterday, we shared the first layer of what Sanjar was experiencing.
Day 1 showed us:
Food problems
Overcrowding
Stress
Fear
Confusion
Concerns about legal access
Day 2 confirms those were not isolated complaints.
They were the beginning of a pattern.
Food problems are now religious rights violations.
Overcrowding is now connected to conflict and stress.
Lack of clarity is now a due process concern.
Ignored requests are now a repeated mechanism.
And the conditions are now tied to pressure to give up legal rights.
That is the trend.
That is why this matters.
Day 1 helped us understand what was happening.
Day 2 helped us understand how it is happening.
And now we are starting to see why silence is dangerous.
Final Message from Inside
When I asked Sanjar what he wanted people to understand today, he did not only talk about himself.
He talked about everyone inside.
"Not just me... they push everyone to give up... they don't care who you are."
That is who Sanjar is.
Even from inside detention, hungry, exhausted, and scared, he is still thinking about other people.
He is still trying to protect others.
He is still trying to speak truth.
He also spoke about compassion.
He reminded us that the United States was built by immigrants. He spoke about people who came here with hope, with fear, with stories, with families, with reasons they could not simply return home.
And that is the part I want everyone to sit with.
Sanjar is not asking people to ignore the law.
He is asking people to remember humanity.
He is asking people to understand that legal cases are complicated.
He is asking people to stop assuming the worst about people they have never met.
He is asking people to care before it is too late.
Why This Matters Right Now
This is not just one man's immigration case.
This is an ICE detention human rights violations issue.
This is a religious freedom issue.
This is a medical neglect issue.
This is a due process issue.
This is a community issue.
And most importantly, this is happening right now.
Inside the United States.
Inside a facility where people still have rights.
Inside a system that should not be allowed to operate in the dark.
And for anyone still thinking, "Well, this only happens to people who came here illegally," please hear this:
That assumption is wrong.
Sanjar's case is proof that legally present people, people with pending cases, people with work authorization, people who have lived and worked here for years, can still be detained.
And once detained, they can still be subjected to conditions that make it harder to fight their case.
That should scare all of us.
Because due process only matters if people can actually access it.
Rights only matter if people are strong enough, informed enough, and supported enough to use them.
How You Can Help
Please share this post.
Please keep talking about Sanjar.
Please support legal efforts if you are able.
Please contact representatives if you feel called.
Because right now, visibility matters.
Pressure matters.
Documentation matters.
And community matters.
Sanjar is not alone.
And neither are the men inside with him.
Comments