Multiple migrant women have filed a class-action lawsuit after being subjected to non-consensual medical abuse while being held at Irwin County Detention Center, an ICE facility in Georgia.
The nearly 40 women filed the complaint on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. The lawsuit also points out that the women faced physical assaults, time in solitary confinement, and even deportation while at the facility for speaking out against Dr. Mahendra Amin, the doctor who has been thrust into the spotlight for performing unwanted hysterectomies on immigrant women. Immigration records have confirmed that several of Amin’s victims have been deported.
A statement that was released along with the complaint stated that the women provided sworn testimony “revealing a relentless pattern of unnecessary and non-consensual medical procedures, including unwanted gynecological surgeries and other non-consensual medical interventions.”
The suit also alleges that Irwin staff members were made aware of the abuse in 2018. However, it is possible that they knew about the mistreatment earlier. Nevertheless, the facility “continued a policy or custom of sending women to be mistreated and abused by Respondent Amin.”
The lawsuit seeks compensation for the harm brought upon victims and an end to retaliation against women who choose to speak out. It is also calling for ICE to allow other victims to fully participate in the lawsuit or release them immediately from custody.
Azadeh Shahshahani, co-counsel on the lawsuit and legal and advocacy director at Project South, said in a statement that justice for victims of abuse in ICE custody is overdue.
“We are seeking an immediate end to the egregious retaliation against the women who spoke out against the abuse, release of the women who have suffered medical abuse, and compensation for the harms that the survivors suffered. It is high time for this facility rife with human rights violations to be shut down and for ICE and LaSalle to be held accountable.”
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LaSalle Corrections, the company that operates the Irwin County Detention Center, has not responded publicly to the lawsuit. On Tuesday, ICE said that while they cannot comment on the matter, they cooperate fully with the investigation.
