A Georgia ICE gynecologist is being accused of performing medical procedures against the consent of detained women.
Lawyers have filed medical grievances against the Georgia Medical Composite Board seeking to revoke gynecologist Mahendra Amin’s medical license. Ten women allege that Amin performed medical procedures without their consent at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia. Lawyers say Amin has a pattern of abuse.
In September, Andrew Free, a lawyer working with other attorneys to investigate medical care at Irwin County, said that Amin had seen at least 60 detained women.
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The medical grievances, filed by the women with assistance from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and other advocates, include their harrowing stories of surviving dangerous types of medical abuse.
“The pain was excruciating,” said one of the women, identified as Yanira, describing an appointment with Amin in February of 2020. “I have survived extreme sexual violence, and this felt like being raped again. I kept squirming up into the chair. I told him, ‘no,’ but he kept going.”
According to the complaint, Amin performed invasive medical procedures on Yanira, even after Yanira told Amin that all of her reproductive organs had previously been removed.
Another woman, identified as Tatiana, said that Amin told her she needed to have an operation during her three-minute examination but didn’t disclose why.
“I asked for my records and my exam results for two months but did not receive them,” she stated. When Tatiana finally received the results, they revealed that she did not need surgery.
“We are calling upon the Georgia Medical Board to revoke Amin’s license,” said Diego Sánchez, a direct services attorney for the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, in a statement. “But these grievances really only scratch the surface of the human rights abuses that are all too common in ICE detention. This system was designed to dehumanize. And these abuses of reproductive rights, informed consent, and language access are endemic to ICE detention.”
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In September, the Irwin County Hospital issued a statement defending Amin, saying he “is a long-time member of the Irwin County Hospital medical staff and has been in good standing for the entirety of his service to the Irwin County community.”
According to the Associated Press, Scott Grubman, a lawyer for Amin, did not respond to a request for comment.
Many of the women told their lawyers they want justice and accountability for the abuses they’ve endured. “I feel violated and betrayed by this doctor who I trusted to help me,” one of the victims stated. “I hope there will be justice for me and the other women.”
Araceli Cruz is a Content Producer for The Americano. Her stories have been published in The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Mic, The Cut, Zora, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and others.
