“Until I drop.” That’s how long 22-year-old Cruz Martinez says he is committed to carrying out his hunger strike against the conditions at immigration detention centres in the United States.

Martinez is one of about 45 detained people participating in a hunger strike unfolding at two facilities run by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California: the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center and the Golden State Annex. Both are operated by the private prison and contracting company GEO Group.

It has been nearly two weeks since Martinez last ate, a fact the sharp pangs in his stomach remind him of constantly.

But Martinez told Al Jazeera in a recent phone call that he was pushed to protest by the harrowing conditions and bevy of fees that make life untenable inside the facilities, especially when paired with what he calls “slavery wages” of $1 a day.

“The rotten food, the high commissary prices, the long waits for medical treatment — we got tired of it and decided we were going to raise our voice,” Martinez said. “Most of us believe this is our last chance to demand dignity and respect.”

A ''no trespassing'' sign is seen outside the Otay Mesa Detention Center, a ICE (Immigrations & Customs Enforcement) federal detention center privately owned and operated by prison contractor CoreCivic

Prisons run by private contractors like CoreCivic have been subject to protests over conditions within their facilities [File: Bing Guan/Reuters]

The protest is taking place as California debates issues involving incarcerated labour and the role of private companies like the GEO Group in the state’s prisons and immigrant detention centres.

The hunger strike began on February 16 with more than 80 participants, some of whom dropped out as their bodies started to falter. But the former participants noted they remain in solidarity with their fellow strikers.

The latest protest follows a labour strike in April when detainees refused to participate in work programmes they consider unfair.

While Martinez said low wages, poor conditions and the high cost of things like phone calls fuelled the decision to launch a hunger strike, the protesters ultimately have one goal: release from the facilities.

“I’ve never been so hungry in my life,” said Martinez, who had lived in Houston, Texas, since 2015. “But we want to be with our families.” (Al Jazeera)

•PHOTO:Lawsuits and legislation in California have tried to reform the use of private companies to run immigrant detention facilities [File: Chris Carlson/AP]