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Woman abused by gynecologist while in ICE custody shares story to ensure it 'never happens again' [1]
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Date: 2022-11-17
“During my detention, I was taken to one appointment with Dr. Mahendra Amin,” Cisneros Preciado said in testimony. “I was chained up at the wrist, ankles, and waist for the appointment, like a criminal. At his office, a nurse told me to get undressed, and I had to do so in front of a transport officer. I expected to get a Pap smear, but instead Dr. Amin told me to open my legs and he did a vaginal ultrasound.” Investigators said in their report that while Cisneros Preciado could tell that the procedure being performed on her without her consent wasn’t a Pap smear, and was “confused” and “extremely uncomfortable,” she didn’t feel “she had any choice about what occurred.”
“He told me I had a cyst on my ovary,” she continued in testimony. “He said he was going to give me a shot to try to dissolve the cyst, and if the cyst did not dissolve in a few weeks, I would need surgery. I did not have a chance to ask questions or say no. I had to get dressed and was handcuffed again. The nurse then gave me the shot, without anyone explaining what it was, and I had to sign a paper.” Investigators said in the report that Amin repeatedly failed “to secure informed consent for offsite medical procedures performed on ICDC detainees.”
“Dr. Amin’s abuse has caused ongoing damage to my physical and mental health,” Cisneros Preciado continued. “Because of the shot, I gained a lot of weight and my hormones were out of control. I was only saved from the surgery because news about Dr. Amin’s abuse came out.”
How Cisneros Preciado ended up detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in the first place can only be described as a miscarriage of justice. Cisneros Preciado described in testimony how she called police on an abusive boyfriend who had assaulted her. But instead, she’s the one who ended up in handcuffs.
“The charges against me were dropped, but I ended up at Irwin,” she said. “Before that, I had never been arrested, never had problems with the police, never traveled in the back of a police car.” This is not an isolated incident. In 2020, Maira Oviedo-Granados dialed 911 for help when an abusive boyfriend tried to attack her, only to end up separated from her children and detained as well. She should not have been targeted in the first place, with a pending asylum claim. In 2018, Wilson Rodriguez Macarreno was also detained after calling police to report a possible intruder.
x Chairman @ossoff: "It's hard for me to think of anything worse, really, Dr. Smith, than the Federal government subjecting incarcerated women to needless gynecological surgery. It's one of the most appalling things this Subcommittee has seen in the last two years." pic.twitter.com/CnKsIvXyXw — Ossoff's Office (@SenOssoff) November 15, 2022
Congressional investigators further said in their report that Amin was contracted to treat women despite having been accused by the federal government and state of Georgia nearly a decade ago of committing Medicare fraud by ordering unnecessary procedures. He does not hold any board certifications, investigators said. How did he end up treating these women?
“Why are doctors who treat detainees not vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, when such a vet would have revealed in this case that the doctor in question had been previously sued by the Department of Justice and the State of Georgia for performing excessive and unnecessary procedures; had been dropped by a major insurer for excessive malpractice claims; and was not board certified?” Chair Jon Ossoff asked.
Journalist Tina Vasquez, who has diligently been reporting on these abuses for more than two years, said Amin has so far evaded justice. Investigators said in their report that Amin, who is currently under federal investigation, refused to cooperate in the probe, invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when subpoenaed by the committee. “Dr. Mahendra Amin is still a practicing physician in the state of Georgia—and an overwhelming number of his patients who low-income women who live in rural areas and who have few other places to turn for sexual and reproductive healthcare,” Vasquez said.
“The government must ensure that all individuals harmed through the widespread abuse and misconduct at Irwin County Detention Center are provided the support they need to heal and thrive,” said the National Immigration Project, which along with its partners filed a class action petition and complaint on behalf of 14 women abused while in federal immigration custody. “We hope the Senate takes these testimonies as further proof that the immigration detention system is inherently abusive & flawed beyond repair.”
RELATED STORIES:
Shocking report sheds light on gross human rights violations faced by women at Georgia ICE site
ICE has known for years that gynecologist was abusing detained immigrants, lawsuit alleges
DHS secretary orders termination of ICE contracts with two sites under federal investigation
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