Belizean Kyron Swaso emerged as the leader of a hunger strike at the California immigration detention center and has been deported back to Belize. This has sparked allegations of retaliation from immigrant rights advocates in the US. According to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Swaso was removed from the United States after being transferred through detention facilities in Texas and Louisiana. His deportation came less than two weeks after he met with members of the U.S. Congress and helped present a petition signed by 150 detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. The petition detailed complaints about mold, contaminated drinking water, inadequate food, limited medical care, and other poor living conditions.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Swaso was deported under standard procedures after receiving a final order of removal. DHS said Swaso entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2019 and overstayed. The agency also alleged he had been accused of crimes, including aggravated assault of a police officer and possession of firearms and drugs.
We spoke with Swaso today who disputed the claim and said he was not deported. He says he was given a stay of removal and claims that he will be suing the US government for how he was treated. Swaso said that he was legally in the United States on a valid B1/B2 visa when he was detained in 2024 following a traffic stop. He said he was unable to produce his travel documents during the stop, leading officers to contact ICE.
Today when he contacted his attorney in the US, she gave us a quote from Melissa Shepard, legal services director stating: "By targeting the forums, ICE is trying to silence the people sounding the alarm and continue abusive practices without public scrutiny. Mr. Swaso and others are taking this risk because the conditions are unbearable, and lives are on the line."
For now, Swaso remains in Belize-where he says he is managing a number of businesses.
