Emergency Mesa Verde Commissary Fund

Last week, over two hundred people detained at the Mesa Verde Detention Facility in Bakersfield, California began an indefinite hunger strike, amidst the escalating COVID-19 crisis. They will continue to hunger strike until they are freed by ICE.

Please join CIYJA and CALMA in supporting those detained in Mesa Verde who are facing a deadly pandemic and fighting for their lives. One of the best ways we can support hunger strikers is through a donation to the Emergency Mesa Verde Commissary Fund. Commissary can be used to purchase things such as minutes for phone calls and necessities, such as soap and hygienic supplies. 

Since those detained in Mesa Verde are unable to socially distance, it is essential that they have access to soap and other cleaning products. Neither ICE nor GEO, the private prison company which runs Mesa Verde, have ensured that detainees have regular access to soap, requiring purchase from the commissary.

Hunger strikers are experiencing the isolation of prison and are deprived of the safety and comfort of sheltering-in-place at home surrounded by family. COVID-19 restrictions have cut off all social visits for detainees. Now more than ever, it is vital that folks in Mesa Verde are able to make phone calls to their loved ones.

Funds raised from the Emergency Mesa Verde Commissary Fund will go towards helping detainees get essential items during their hunger strike as well as enabling them to connect with their community outside of Mesa Verde.

Please join us in uplifting the brave immigrants who are fighting back against ICE and GEO and demanding their right to liberty by donating to the Emergency Mesa Verde Commissary Fund today. Thank you!