Shocking allegations out of Irwin County, Georgia, when four lawyers and a nurse — formerly employed at an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) — accused ICE facilities of abusing women. These abuse allegations stem from women being repeatedly sent for unnecessary gynecology appointment.
ICE Abuse Detainees by being Forced to Have Hysterectomies
According to reports, these women suffered through procedures and exams —including hysterectomies — that would leave bruises and left them feeling violated. It has been said that three of the four lawyers have named Dr. Mahendra Amin as the abuser.
These three lawyers claim that Dr. Amin has had numerous complaints over the past several years. Even complaints from women at the Irwin County Detention Center; and yet the facility keeps bringing them there.
Dr. Amin was in the spotlight of a Justice Department’s investigation in 2015. The Justice Department was looking into reports that the doctor was making false Medicare and Medicaid claims. The end result of this investigation cost Amin and other doctors $525,000.
Amin’s name came up in this investigation due to Dawn Wooten blowing the whistle on the Irwin County facility. According to The Intercept the facility is run by a private corporation called LaSalle Corrections.
Cry For Help For Abused and Neglected ICE Detainees
Wooten’s original cry for help was due to the ICE facility’s lack of care for the detainees. Care such as COVID-19 testing. Wooten even suggested that the facility has underreported its coronavirus cases. She even stated that many staff members and detainees stand at risk of contracting the virus.
Wotten claims that the company has refused medical treatment to some people in desperate need of it. Her letter even states that if a detainee becomes symptomatic, COVID-19 tests are refused. The nurse submitted her finding in a letter on Sept. 8, 2020, to the Inspector General in the Department of Homeland Security.
The attorneys helping her in this horrific situation are from the Government Accountability Project. Wooten describes the situation as “a silent pandemic.” The nurse feels that she believes the Irwin Department of Corrections downplayed the spread of the virus.
According to her, the first case appeared in March. Wooten claims to have overheard the warden David Paulk tell another nurse about a possible infected transfer. She said that “He didn’t want there to be mass panic.”
At one point Wooten was ordered to tend to a male detainee even though she had no mask. She refused to do so. She even stated that her numerous complaints about the situation earned her a demotion. By July, she was placed in an on-call position and only offered a few hours a month.
A legal advocacy group called Project South has joined Wooten in her complaint and filed one of their own. Project South believes that “Wotten’s whistleblowing disclosures” only confirm what, many have claimed.
This is not the first complaint lodged against the LaSalle’s ICE facility. In total, the company runs 18 detention centers throughout the southern regions of the U.S.
Other ICE Facilities Accused of Abuse and Neglect
In July their ICE facility in Lousianna was accused of with-holding protective gear from their staff and detainees. The LaSalle company’s, Richwood Correctional Center, was also accused of dismissing positive COVID-19 cases.
In that same month, The Intercept reports they were told by detainees they were handcuffed and then pepper-sprayed. These detainees — who were asylum-seekers — were in need of medical attention at the time. When they put up a fuss about their treatment, the detainees were thrown into solitary confinement.
One of these detainees was later transferred to another LaSalle detention center. However, they received the same if not worse treatment at the new place. There have been similar reports stemming from Winn Correctional Center – yep another LaSalle-ran business.
ICE has declined to comment at this time. A spokesperson for LaSalle claims, “LaSalle Corrections is firmly committed to the health and welfare of those in our care. We are deeply committed to delivering high-quality, culturally responsive services in safe and humane environments.”
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
The Intercept: “A SILENT PANDEMIC”: NURSE AT ICE FACILITY BLOWS THE WHISTLE ON CORONAVIRUS DANGERS
NBC: Lawyers allege abuse of migrant women by gynecologist for Georgia ICE detention center
Featured, Top, and Inline Image by Patrick Feller’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
