A former nurse turned whistleblower from a migrant detention center in Georgia has filed complaints regarding the healthcare services and lack thereof provided by the detention center regarding COVID-19 and the hysterectomies of several migrant women detained at the center. The whistleblower has partnered with Project South: The Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide and has filed a complaint directed to the Department of Homeland Security offices in Atlanta and Washington D.C., the immigration facility warden, and the ICE Atlanta field office. The official complaint and the responses have been released to the press.
First, we'll look at the statement from Project South. The complaint alleges a concerning number of hysterectomies, illegitimate tests and protocol regarding COVID-19, and unsafe living and working environments. The whistleblower nurse Ms. Wooten alleges that she and some of the other nurses "were alarmed by the rate at which the hysterectomies have occurred" with one of the doctors at the center for the migrant women. She even refers to him as the "uterus collector" in the statement.
On top of these allegations is the concerning alleged lack of COVID-19 treatment and protection. In any facility like the Irwin County Detention Center, disease can spread like wildfire from detainee to detainee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the contagious nature of the virus and the lack of a vaccine, the risk of disease transmission has increased significantly, causing many institutions to install safety protocols like social distancing, testing for the disease, and isolation and treatment for positive cases. Ms. Wooten's allegations against the facility include the fabrication and destruction of medical records, the refusal to test symptomatic detainees for the virus, and the facility not encouraging social distancing. She also alleges that she believed she had COVID-19, informed her boss that she was waiting for test results before returning to work and that she was then promptly demoted.
However, the official responses from ICE have refuted her claims. An ICE spokesperson said they were taking the allegations seriously, yet also seemed to imply that the whistleblower's allegations should be viewed with skepticism. In a statement about the facility's handling of the coronavirus, ICE refuted the claims and cited the organization's protocols, including following updates from epidemiologists and regularly updating standards to follow to inhibit the spread amongst detainees. The Dept. of Homeland Security, which presides over ICE, has initiated an investigation. The claims by whistleblower Nurse Wooten have gained attention on social media, including from various lawmakers who are calling for a thorough investigation into the overall medical care provided to migrant detainees. It does appear that the allegations are being investigated seriously, and results from the investigation are pending. The medical treatment of migrant detainees in both private and public detention centers overseen by ICE has raised both legal and ethical questions with many across the U.S. looking at ICE with watchful skepticism.
References
ICE Whistleblower: Nurse alleges 'hysterectomies on immigrant women in US'. (2020, September 15). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54160638
