Rep. Lou Correa Speaks After Touring ICE Detention Facility At Center of Detainee Abuse Investigation

Press Release

On Saturday, September 26, 2020, Congressmen Lou Correa (D-CA), and Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and House Judiciary Committee visited Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, where multiple immigrant women have alleged hysterectomies and other medical procedures were performed without their consent.

The Congressional Delegation assessed conditions related to the spread of COVID-19, with more than 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last several months among detained individuals that pose a greater risk of further contagion among the vulnerable immigrants detained there.

Rep. Lou Correa said, "For the fourth time in three years, I am compelled to travel to yet another ICE facility to investigate abhorrent allegations of abuse. I am shocked by the claims that women at the Irwin Detention Facility were subjected to medical procedures without their consent or knowledge. Forced sterilization is an act of genocide. We must get answers swiftly and ensure everyone involved is held accountable.

"The Department of Homeland Security was created to protect Americans from potential terror attacks, yet it has become an instrument of pain and suffering. Every American should be concerned about what we've seen. It's time for wholesale reform, and to return DHS to their original mission of protecting Americans."

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