LULAC: Forced Hysterectomies Of Latinas At ICE Facility Are Barbaric
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Get-Out-The-Vote Is the Strongest Weapon to Stop Female Butchering
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued a strong statement today calling out the Trump Administration for failing to act on reports that undocumented women being detained at centers operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have allegedly undergone forced hysterectomies or were not even aware of the surgical procedures performed on them without their consent that left them sterile.
“If true, these are some of the most inhumane and barbaric acts against innocent women at a private, for-profit prison run immorally amok in the USA,” says Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “This is no longer about politics alone. This is about crimes committed against humanity allowed by a sitting Secretary of Homeland Security and President Trump. We demand that the Director of ICE be fired, the doctor and his accomplices be indicted and tried, and that all private prisons be closed!” he added.
The reports first came to light when a health worker named Dawn Wooten stepped forward. The nurse was working at the Irwin Detention Center (IDC) located three hours south of Atlanta, Georgia. Wooten revealed that LaSalle Corrections, the private company operating IDC as a contractor with ICE allegedly allowed a doctor to perform unnecessary gynecological procedures, including countless hysterectomies on immigrant detainees. Wooten said the women were either coerced or were not told of the consequences the surgeries would have on them.
“Every woman in America has the right to herself feel violated and dehumanized by these physical acts forced upon innocent female detainees whose only crime was seeking freedom. It is unfathomable that this occurred on U.S. soil in 2020. We expect a swift and full investigation by the Department of Justice into these allegations,” says Sindy Benavides, LULAC National Chief Executive Officer. “It is abhorrent to think that many have now lost the choice to give life while being in the custody of ICE and DHS. May this moment remind us that we must speak out, register to vote and make their voices heard for every mommy behind bars, every child detained and every woman oppressed,” she added.
Rep. Pramilla Jayapal (D-WA) spoke out against the history of eugenic-sterilization in the United States and says this is only the most recent example. Jayapal stated she was briefed by lawyers who represent at least 17 women subjected to the alleged actions. Also, other reports have come to light involving at least 35 other women so far, reportedly victimized in the same manner at other detention centers.
“Scores of nervous lawmakers are now scurrying around demanding an investigation and the Department of Homeland Security officials are denying they knew anything about these alleged abuses. Yet, as far as we’re concerned, they have been in on it allowing this Administration free rein to ride roughshod over our constitutional protections,” says Garcia. “President Trump has been cheered on by his supporters while flaunting denying asylum seekers and refugees the right to be treated as human beings. No woman should have her right to give life sacrificed in exchange for a politician’s gain,” added Garcia.
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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/