The current circumstances of immigrant detention centers

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the entity in charge of overseeing immigration detention centers around the US, which are facilities that constantly receive immigrants who are detained trying to cross the country’s borders unlawfully.

In addition to that, ICE also periodically conducts operations with the purpose of capturing immigrants who managed to cross the borders without legal documentation and who currently reside in the country. Normally, they are also taken to these immigration detention centers.

Undocumented immigrants must remain in these centers until their deportation processes are completed or, if they meet certain requirements, they can appeal their cases and possibly receive legal documentation to reside in the US.

Currently, due to the global Coronavirus pandemic and the number of people infected within ICE facilities, immigrant detention centers have the constant attention of critics, activists and immigrant rights advocates, who ask the government to implement new protocols to protect the lives of both detained immigrants and ICE employees.

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Nurse reports wrong medical procedures at ICE detention center

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is in charge of supervising ICE, received an internal complaint from a nurse who worked at an immigration detention center in Georgia, stating that ICE’s health professionals are performing massive medical procedures on immigrant women.

The nurse assures that ICE performed multiple hysterectomies, which refers to the removal of the uterus, also known as sterilizations, in immigrant women who did not have any underlying health conditions indicating that the intervention was necessary.

This is definitely a severe accusation, thus, the DHS responded almost immediately that it would initiate the investigation as soon as possible to sanction any unnecessary medical procedures and possibly implement monitoring protocols.

ICE’s medical director stated: “To be clear, medical care decisions concerning detainees are made by medical personnel, not by law enforcement personnel (…) Detainees are afforded informed consent, and a medical procedure like a hysterectomy would never be performed against a detainee’s will.”

However, the nurse involved in the legal complaint exposes a specific example of an immigrant woman who had a cyst on an ovary, but the doctor in charge removed the wrong ovary, so she had to agree to a full hysterectomy and now she does not have the possibility to have children.

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Avoid precarious situations during your immigration journey in the US

Illegal immigration is a decision that could have extremely damaging and negative repercussions for you and your family. It is imperative for you to follow legal processes with the company of experts in immigration matters, so that you choose the right path and avoid precarious situations.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.