New Report Details Abuse and Trauma of Immigrant Women in ICE Detention in Georgia
Contact: Azadeh Shahshahani, Project South, azadeh@projectsouth.org Cindy Zapata, Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, czapata@law.harvard.edu
Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, South Georgia Immigrant Support Network, and Staff and students at Harvard Law School Outline Violations
A year after immigrants’ rights supporters first shed light on the horrific abuses of women detained at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Georgia, advocates have released a detailed report illustrating the gross human rights violations faced by immigrant women at ICDC.
The new report, titled Violence and Violation: Medical abuse of immigrants detained at the Irwin County Detention Center, features firsthand accounts from survivors who were subjected to invasive and nonconsensual surgeries and gynecological procedures, while detained in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One woman, recalling her experiences, says it felt as though her “ovary was rotting from the inside.” In other instances, when women with pain or other medical concerns spoke out about Dr. Mahendra Amin, an obstetrician-gynecologist practicing at the facility, they were often ignored or faced retaliation from ICDC guards.
“The pain and suffering these women endured in ICE custody is appalling, and a shameful recurrence of this country’s dark history,” said Priyanka Bhatt, Staff Attorney at Project South, one of the five groups responsible for the report. “Sadly, these abuses by the agency do not stand alone; ICE has a proven track record of violating human rights inside their deadly prisons. ICE and all parties involved, including the private prison company, LaSalle Corrections, must be held accountable and ICDC survivors must receive justice and reparations immediately.”
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