SPLC Action: Georgia Legislature Must Pass H.R. 268, Affirm Human Rights of All People in Immigrant Detention

ATLANTA – Lawmakers this week introduced House Resolution 268 in Georgia’s House of Representatives, calling for their legislative body to urge the federal government to abolish the forced sterilizations of women in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The resolution is directed at all members of the Georgia delegation to the United States Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Biden-Harris Administration. 

The following statement is from Isabel Otero, policy associate with the SPLC Action Fund.

“Women who organized on the inside of ICDC, allies and advocates across the state, and Georgians of all backgrounds have courageously led the fight to advocate for the human rights of all people in Georgia. It is imperative that our state elected officials follow their lead.

“H.R. 268 is just the first step in addressing the unconscionable human rights abuses that have occurred in ICE prisons at the hands of the federal government in Georgia’s back yard.

“But the speed with which H.R. 268 is moving is unacceptable. The resolution already appears to be in jeopardy. We need the resolution to be brought before the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee immediately and voted favorably in order to continue to move through the General Assembly.

“Our lawmakers should take their cues from the powerful demonstrations that occurred just this past weekend in Atlanta and at ICDC. Georgia must send a clear message to Congress: Georgians will no longer accept the appalling abuses rampant in ICE detention facilities, and we will fight to ensure that each person is able make decisions about their health, their bodies, and whether and when to have children, free from coercion and state interference.” 

BACKGROUND

Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia first came under the national spotlight last year when a nurse blew the whistle against Mahendra Amin, a gynecologist accused of subjecting women detained there to unconsented to invasive and medically unnecessary procedures. Over the weekend, organizers held demonstrations at the Atlanta ICE Field Office and outside of ICDC to call for the release of all people who remain at the prison and for the permanent closure of the facility. 

Federal litigation is challenging the medical abuse, including gynecological abuse, and retaliation that women have suffered at ICDC for years. SPLC last year assisted women in filing medical grievances with the Georgia Medical Composite Board.