DeLauro Statement on Reports of Medical Neglect, Abuse, Coerced Hysterectomies at ICE Detention Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement on the whistleblower complaint detailing ‘jarring medical neglect' and an alarmingly high rate of hysterectomies at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Georgia:

"The atrocities outlined in the whistleblower complaint are nothing short of horrifying. Our nation has a dark history of forced hysterectomies, and I am disgusted and demoralized to learn that this could be happening again. To read that a detainee thought this U.S. facility was an ‘experimental concentration camp' should shock any sane, decent human.

"If true, ICE also grossly mishandled the coronavirus pandemic, forcing people to live in hazardous and unsanitary conditions, refusing testing and medical care to detainees, and concealing COVID-19 data. There must be accountability—this dangerous, dehumanizing system is out of control. I join with my colleagues in calling for an immediate OIG investigation to get to the bottom of these claims.

"I am grateful for Dawn Wooten, the brave nurse who came forward to share these stories and document these atrocities. I stand in awe of her ability to speak truth to power. Her sacrifice was not made in vain. I will fight to end these abuses, and with an overhaul of our detention system, ensure that history does not repeat itself."