New this week from Solitary Watch:

In a new feature article, Solitary Watch’s Francisco Rodriguez looks at  The Strike, a new documentary film about the history and human toll of solitary confinement in California.  Rodriguez interviews filmmakers Lucas Guilkey and JoeBill Muñoz, as well as solitary survivors Jack Morris and Dolores Canales, about the timeline of the film’s creation, creative choices, and the film’s relevance today. Solitary Watch 

This week’s pick of news and commentary about solitary confinement:

A federal judge ruled the Trump Administration is allowed to continue sending migrants to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. Despite numerous lawsuits highlighting the conditions migrants faced while detained at Guantánamo, including practices like strip searches, shackling, and solitary confinement, the decision cited a lack of evidence that placement at the facility caused irreparable harm because the Trump Administration had already removed the detained migrants from the American military base. New York Times | José Daniel Simancas Rodríguez spoke about the torturous conditions he and 176 other Venezuelan migrants faced while detained at Guantánamo Bay. He reported being isolated in solitary confinement, with barely any pillows, blankets, or food, for 15 days. “That’s what torture is, confinement,” Simancas Rodríguez said. “You are not alive. You are there and you are not alive, where you don’t know if it is day or night, you don’t really know the time, you are eating poorly, every day that you are there you are dying little by little.” CNN

The Trump Administration is opening more privately run immigration detention facilities in Texas as it begins to ramp up its deportation plans. These privately run facilities are notorious for their poor conditions and inadequate oversight, with employees of the facilities facing accusations of sexually assaulting detainees, desecrating their religious liberties, and frequently punishing them with practices like solitary confinement. As of late February, Texas detained the most undocumented migrants of any state—more than 12,000 across its 21 immigration detention facilities. The Trump administration has already repurposed Karnes County Detention Facility to hold detained families, a practice which was significantly reduced under the Biden administration. It plans to reopen the South Texas Family Residential Center for the same purpose. News From The States

Incarcerated transgender women have been moved from women’s to men’s facilities under President Trump’s day-one “gender ideology” order. Despite numerous courts ruling against the president’s guidelines, Trump’s order mandates that “males are not detained in women’s prisons or housed in women’s detention centers” and federal funds are not used for gender-affirming care for those in custody. Many transgender women were placed in solitary confinement before being transferred to men’s facilities and were told they could be isolated for months. In one case, one woman attempted suicide out of fear of being transferred. The Guardian

Advocates called for more limits to solitary confinement while speaking at Rhode Island’s State House. The Stop Torture RI coalition, which played a role in putting limitations on long-term solitary confinement in the state in 2023, is pushing to codify new solitary reform policies within the Department of Corrections, including mandating the DOC release detailed annual public reports about the people isolated in solitary confinement. “The solitary bill is caught up due to litigation that’s happening with the federal court,” said Brandon Robinson, a campaign manager and lobbyist with Stop Torture RI. “Once the litigation is over, we have the support of the director and other legislators to codify that bill.” WPRI Providence

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