On Monday, September 14, a disturbing report was filed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector by Dawn Wooten, a licensed nurse who was previously employed full-time by Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. She accused a surgeon at the center of performing unwanted, unnecessary, and nonconsensual gynecological procedures, including hysterectomies and other operations which have left women detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unable to reproduce.
Wooten was demoted in July, which she believes happened due to her raising concerns about the center’s neglect of the immigrants that they are responsible for treating. She has previously called the center out for failing to maintain proper COVID-19 safety procedures and an overall lack of attentiveness to patients’ needs. Besides the obvious risk to her job, bringing up such a complaint is a major undertaking that potentially places her in danger. Whistleblowers are often subjected to harassment and extreme pressure as it is, but Dawn Wooten faces added risks as a Black woman in America, a country known for widespread racism and sexism. While she has been receiving death threats and hateful messages, supporters have been raising funds for her and sharing words of encouragement and gratitude for bringing this injustice to light. The fact that she chose to speak out despite the formidable risks is seen by many as a testament to her conviction and courage.
Wooten’s efforts have not gone unaddressed. As of September 25, DHS has officially stated that they have initiated a review of the Irwin County Detention Center and will interview the whistleblower to hear and confirm her allegations firsthand. In addition, they plan to interview detainees and employees along with reviewing records, as well as evaluating the center’s medical practices.
Pramila Jayapal, a congresswoman from Washington who was instrumental in pressuring the DHS inspector general to investigate this purported human rights abuse, found at least 17 cases of unnecessary procedures at the center, including hysterectomies. She has stated that she strongly suspects these unwanted surgeries are not isolated incidents and are rather part of a larger pattern of abuse at the hands of ICE. The unsettling stories brought to light by detainees have caused Americans to consider just how many more untold tales of violence and abuse there could be, and how many people are suffering in silence.
One such story is that of Pauline Binam, who agreed to have an ovarian cyst excised, but woke up having had a fallopian tube removed without consent. She has since had amenorrhea (a halted menstrual cycle) and continued mental health issues as a result. Furthermore, she was almost deported on Wednesday to Cameroon, the country which she left at age two. “It felt like ICE was trying to rush through her deportation,” said Representative Jayapal. “I can’t say that for certain, but all of this is extremely troubling.”
Another upsetting anecdote included in Wooten’s report was that of a detained young woman who had a cyst on her left ovary, but ended up with the right one gone. She was then forced to return and have the correct ovary removed, and is now unable to conceive children. The doctor accused of making this unlikely yet extremely impactful “mistake” has since been revealed to be Mahendra Amin, a man with an alarming reputation. He is so notorious within the center, in fact, that Wooten chillingly referred to him as the “uterus collector” in her report. Former patients have also described him as “rough,” an unsettling demeanor for someone whose job it is to handle precious, fragile organs in his hands and examine genitalia. It has also been revealed that he is not a board-certified OB-GYN, meaning he was not qualified to operate on these patients in the first place, even with consent.
Informed consent is absolutely crucial to obtain before performing surgical procedures. However, valid consent may not have been obtained from immigrants who were emotionally vulnerable or knew little English. Wooten described speaking with people who were partially or fully unaware of their situation based on improper explanations in an unfamiliar language. Sheer lack of communication has also been an issue, as Binam still doesn’t have a clear answer as to why her fallopian tube was removed without her consent. Lawmakers and the public alike have brought up possible insights as to why: malicious ulterior motives.
If the accusations prove to be true, the moral implications are far deeper and insidious than just stripping patients of their right to informed consent. These surgeries can rob young people of their entire reproductive futures, and the pattern of forced sterilizations inflicted on a particular demographic bears chilling and unmistakable similarities to historic genocides. In the words of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, “Forced sterilization is a hallmark of genocide and internationally recognized by the UN as a crime against humanity. We need a full reckoning with the torture and cruelty inflicted by this Administration and all who are complicit in it.” Calling for ICE to be held accountable and similarly demanding that Dr. Amin be apprehended accordingly if he is found guilty of malpractice, the people have spoken to demand justice and whatever actions necessary to prevent more atrocities from being committed in the future.
In just a short period of time, these disturbing revelations have ignited the nation’s fury and increased disillusionment with the President, a vehement and outspoken supporter of ICE. Petitions and lawmakers’ contact information have been circulating on social media, as have posts urging people to vote President Trump out in this year’s rapidly approaching election, encouraging others to not take the colossal allegations lightly.