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Inmate
agrees to end
hunger strike at
county jail |
The federal detainee was protesting deportation to his native
land of Romania; accpets IV fluids |
By Gunnar Olson, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Gunnar at golson@eaglenewspapers.com
|
McMINNVILLE — It is said that the human body can survive as long as a
month without food.
Federal prisoner Stefan Dogaru’s hunger strike inside the walls of the
Yamhill County jail, where he is awaiting deportation to his native Romania, didn’t
last that long — 12 days, from Nov. 8 to Nov. 20.
But the protest continued long enough that it threatened Dogaru’s
survival.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency deporting Dogaru,
allows its prisoners to protest in whatever way they choose, said spokesperson Mike Milne
— “so long as it doesn’t interfere with their safety.
“It was getting to the point where he either had to consent, or he would
have to be forced to intravenous treatment.”
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office received authorization from a U.S.
District Court Thursday to provide forced intravenous re-hydration and nutritional therapy
to Dogaru.
It didn’t come to that, though. Dogaru, who is in the United
States illegally, eventually consented to treatment on Thursday, according to
Milne. He received care at the Willamette Valley Medical Center.
Dogaru, who was picked up by the ICE on Oct. 22, went on the hunger strike to
protest his deportation to Romania, indicating the country’s poor living conditions,
according to the sheriff’s office. His fiancee and children are also awaiting
removal, Milne said, and are scheduled to leave the first week of December.
Milne said immigrants can apply for political asylum, but poor living
conditions aren’t considered reason enough to grant refuge in the United States.
It’s a common practice for the Yamhill County jail to temporarily hold
federal detainees. In essence, the jail rents out its beds to federal agencies,
specifically ICE, as was the case for Dogaru.
Sheriff Jack Crabtree said hunger strikes are uncommon in the Yamhill County
jail.
“We usually experience one or two a year, but they are of short
duration,” he said. “This is the first situation that has lasted this long and
we have never had to force intravenous feeding.” |
|
From Nov. 22,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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