Whistleblower Reveals Mass Hysterectomies in ICE Detention Center
Image Courtesy of Eurweb
By: Franchetta Groves
Last week a nurse from an ICE detention center filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the conditions violated medical safety protocols. She claims that there is a lack of medical care and that they are not practicing effective preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dawn Wooten, who is a licensed practical nurse, has claimed that ICE has refused to isolate and perform tests on detainees who could possibly be infected with COVID-19. Along with this, Wooten has claimed employees who have tested positive have still been allowed to work, violating CDC guidelines. Even more concerning was the claim that immigrant women were receiving questionable hysterectomies at an alarmingly high rate. Wooten admitted that while some women may have requested a hysterectomy, “everybody’s uterus cannot be that bad”.
Wooten and other nurses have questioned the number of women who are having hysterectomies performed on them as well as if they understand and consent to the procedure before undergoing it.
Wooten brought forward these claims with Project South, a social justice activism group. Several immigrant women have reached out to Project South expressing concerns about the number of hysterectomies being performed. According to Project South, one detained immigrant said that she talked to five immigrant women between October and December of 2019 who reacted with confusion when hearing why they had a hysterectomy performed.
“When I met all these women who had had surgeries, I thought this was like an experimental concentration camp,” the woman told Project South. “It was like they’re experimenting with our bodies.”
In response to this, a top medical official with ICE responded by saying that the agency data shows only two women who had been referred for hysterectomies from the facility since 2018. Along with this, Dr. Ada Rivera, medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps, refuted these claims by saying that medical decisions are made not by law enforcement but by medical professionals, and a medical procedure would “never be performed against a detainee’s will”.
Project South released a statement following Wooten’s claims.
“Violations occurring inside the Irwin County Detention Center,” said Priyanka Bhatt, a staff attorney at Project South. “Ms. Wooten’s whistleblowing disclosures confirm what detained immigrants have been reporting for years: gross disregard for health and safety standards, lack of medical care, and unsanitary living conditions at Irwin.”
Dawn Wooten faced demotion in early July while awaiting her COVID-19 test results. While she was originally on staff full-time, she was demoted to “as needed,” which she believes was due to her asking hard questions surrounding the conditions in the ICE detention centers. The specific center surrounding Wooten’s accusations is Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, GA, which is run by LaSalle Corrections. However, legal attorneys are calling for an investigation in other La Salle-run facilities as well.
The recent news evoked a strong response from Democratic lawmakers, many of whom have called for an investigation. In response, Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter, signed by 168 congressmen, urging DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to investigate these claims. Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government could take legal action against the US if the allegations were confirmed. As of the publication of this article, the DHS Inspector General has not commented on if he plans to go through with an investigation.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi commented saying that if these allegations are true, “they are a staggering abuse of human rights,” and she also called for an investigation into these claims.
ICE has responded to these claims by saying it, “vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures.” However, they claimed that they would not prematurely comment on this issue as it could impede matters with the Inspector General.
“From what I’ve heard and seen so far, I really hope that women in ICE custody have not been coerced into having hysterectomies. I pray that as reports are either verified or denied, we can have clarity and justice if applicable,” commented Politics major Gabby Dank, “Even the idea, let alone the action, of something such as this happening within the United States is absolutely horrifying.”
