Massachusetts, Georgia facilities facing probes into allegations of misconduct, including unwanted hysterectomies on female inmates.
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it will no longer use two immigration detention facilities where there are ongoing investigations into accusations of misconduct and abuse – including a claim that unwanted medical procedures were carried out on migrants in one of the facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it will no longer use the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center in Bristol County, Massachusetts, and the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia. Both were being run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The facility in Bristol County, run under an agreement with the local sheriff’s office, is “no longer operationally necessary,” DHS said in a statement. The Washington Post reported that the Bristol facility is holding seven detainees, while Irwin has 114.
The Irwin facility was the subject of a whistleblower accusation last year in which it was claimed that a doctor performed unwanted hysterectomies on female inmates. There were also further allegations of unsanitary conditions at the facility. The DHS Office of Inspector General is investigating the allegations and the doctor accused has denied wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the Post reported that the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office is under investigation after staff used pepper balls and a flash-bang against detainees who threw chairs at staff amid a dispute over COVID-19 testing and isolation.
