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Law360 (September 17, 2020, 9:34 PM EDT) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating a whistleblower's allegations that women at a Georgia immigrant detention facility underwent hysterectomies without their consent, an agency spokesperson confirmed to Law360 on Thursday.
In a statement, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said the branch would comply with an investigation by the DHS Office of the Inspector General following complaints the office received from advocacy groups on behalf of ICE detainees at Irwin County Detention Center and nurse Dawn Wooten, a former employee who blew the whistle on allegedly troubling medical practices at the facility.
"ICE intends to fully cooperate with the DHS OIG investigation," the spokesperson said.
As well as allegations of gynecological surgeries performed without consent, Wooten's declaration claimed that ICDC's warden transferred and deported detainees after they tested positive for COVID-19, and denied water to those who staged a hunger strike in protest of conditions at the facility amid the pandemic.
The complaint also claimed unsanitary conditions at the facility, which is run by LaSalle Corrections, such as inadequate amounts of soap and toothpaste for detainees in isolation and a medical unit that's dirty and infested in insects.
The inquiry follows mounting pressure from lawmakers on DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to investigate claims by Wooten and detainees.
On Wednesday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., put out a statement after being briefed by attorneys for three women who were detained at ICDC.
"It appears that there may be at minimum 17 to 18 women who were subjected to unnecessary medical gynecological procedures from just this one doctor, often without appropriate consent or knowledge, and with the clear intention of sterilization," Jayapal said, calling the alleged acts "the most abhorrent of human rights violations."
In his own statement from Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., compared the allegations to historical atrocities.
"If these horrific reports are true, we as a nation have an obligation to bring those responsible for this unquestionable violation of human rights to justice," he said.
On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, tweeted about her efforts to stop the deportation of a former ICDC detainee from Houston who was allegedly among the women who underwent what the congresswoman termed "unwanted and unwarranted hysterectomies."
"I am glad to have worked with local federal Houston officials to save Ms. Doe from immediate deportation. I joined in signing the Judiciary Committee letter, demanding an immediate investigation by the Inspector General, and I am calling on our congressional committees to investigate as well immediately," she said.
--Editing by Adam LoBelia.
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