Dear Lindsey,
Your post caught my attention because it’s actually something that I heard about a few weeks ago on the news. When I heard that the doctors at this ICE detention center were removing the uterus of many women I was in shock. I wasn’t even aware that the uterus could be removed. And the truly sad thing about this situation is that many of these poor women aren’t even aware of what’s happening to them. I read that for the most part many of these women don’t need the surgery, yet they still go through it. It’s also sad because many women have the illusion of having children, and these doctors are taking that opportunity away from them. And the problem is that many people don’t speak out about these issues, but thanks to the nurse that was working there found this wrong and is now speaking on the situation. The real question is are they going to do anything about it or are they just going to let it slide. (Link to the CNN article on the hysterectomies at ICE facilities https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/immigration-customs-enforcement-medical-care-detainees/index.html )

One sentence you wrote that stood out to me was, “ ICE workers have also refused to test detainees for COVID-19, underreporting cases they have tested for, shredded medical requests submitted by detained immigrants, fabricated medical records, etc.” I think immigrants’ lives are more in danger under the hands of ICE because they are treated horribly. They escape their homeland due to violence or other problems so that many just end up dying in cages.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write about next because these are topics that should receive more attention to end such problems.

-Yamile Beltran