Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Al-Qlailah, Southern Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strikes town of Harouf, Nabatieh district.
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.

Locked in pain: Disabled immigrants' struggle in detention centers

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 25 Apr 2025 23:16
5 Min Read

The absence of two federal offices that previously provided oversight for healthcare and other issues has created a situation where detainees with disabilities are increasingly at risk of severe consequences.

Listen
  • x
  •   The Stewart detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia. (Undated, AP)
     The Stewart detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia (Undated, AP)

Rodney Taylor, a 46-year-old double amputee from Liberia, has been detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia for three months. Despite living in the US for most of his life, working as a barber and being active in cancer awareness, his immigration status remains unresolved.

Taylor, whose green card application is pending, was detained by ICE in January due to a burglary conviction he received as a teenager, which was pardoned by Georgia in 2010. During his detention, he faced neglect, including missing meals and medical care, and suffered from worsening health issues.

His case highlights the plight of countless individuals with disabilities and severe health conditions who are being caught up in the current administration's "mass deportation" efforts. These efforts are taking place in overcrowded detention centers like Stewart, which are among more than a hundred such facilities nationwide, The Guardian revealed.

'Walking on concrete'

The absence of two federal offices that previously provided oversight for healthcare and other issues has created a situation where detainees with disabilities, like Rodney Taylor, are increasingly at risk of severe consequences, including life-altering conditions and even death. Experts warn that this lack of oversight, combined with overcrowding, creates a "perfect storm" for negligence and abuses.

Joseph Nwadiuko, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, highlights that deaths are becoming more likely, and the healthcare implications of the current system have not been properly addressed. The immigration detention system was already unsafe for detainees with disabilities, according to experts and former Department of Homeland Security employees.

Sarah Owings, Taylor's attorney, described the situation as unfolding "in the dark" for her client and others. While detained, Taylor, who was just days away from receiving new prosthetic legs, was instead given ill-fitting shoes in what felt like "walking on concrete."

Related News

China counters US maritime bloc with sanctions on Hanwha Ocean

US China talks in Malaysia called ‘very constructive’ by US Treasury

Rodney Taylor's prosthetic legs require eight hours of daily charging, but after being detained at Stewart, he has not been able to receive proper care. The facility only allowed a few hours of charging at a time, causing the batteries to die and the legs to stop bending, which worsened his hip pain.

Meals delayed; wheelchair use hindered

Despite requesting medical leave to see a doctor and get fitted for new prosthetics, his petition was denied, and a second one is still under review. In the meantime, walking to the cafeteria has become too painful, and while other detainees tried to bring him meals, they often had to argue with guards for permission, with a case manager sometimes bringing food an hour late.

Staff at Stewart offered Rodney Taylor a wheelchair, but he can't use it effectively due to his limited hand mobility and a swollen thumb.

After his case was featured in a CNN story about people facing deportation after decades in the US, the warden approached him, asking what he needed. Taylor reported that a guard told him, “Unless you’re dying or bleeding out… they’re not going to come,” reflecting the facility's focus on deportation rather than medical care.

A mess; ICE detention facilities across US

Experts told The Guardian that the situation at ICE detention facilities is similar across the country, including at Krome in Miami, Florida, where at least three detainees have died recently and others with conditions like HIV have gone without medication for weeks.

Amy Zeidan, an emergency medicine professor at Emory University, explained that overcrowding exacerbates an already existing workforce shortage, leaving detention centers without enough qualified staff to provide proper care.

Conditions 'emblematic of the system' under Trump administration

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee, speaking anonymously to avoid retaliation, described these conditions as "emblematic of the system" under the current administration.

Michelle Brané, the former ombudsman at the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), expressed concern over the shutdown of the office, which previously conducted inspections, handled complaints, and made policy recommendations to improve detention conditions, including healthcare. Brané noted that the office played a crucial role in de-escalating situations, which are now being worsened by increasing detentions.

However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued that these offices obstructed immigration enforcement and created bureaucratic hurdles. Brané criticized this stance as showing a "disdain for meeting basic humane conditions" and emphasized that the OIDO was established by law and funded by Congress.

She expressed fear that detainees, especially those with disabilities or serious health issues, could suffer irreparable harm or even die, urging that death should not be the point at which the system starts caring.

  • United States
  • mass deportations
  • US President Donald Trump
  • Donald Trump
  • deportation in US
  • US prisons

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Undated photo of Hanwha Ocean’s Goeje Shipyard in South Korea (Hanwha Ocean)
Politics

China counters US maritime bloc with sanctions on Hanwha Ocean

Catherine Connolly speaks after being after being elected as the new President of Ireland at Dublin Castle, Ireland, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Connolly wins Irish presidency in blow to political establishment

Buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offensive are seen in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel's' post-ceasefire demolitions in Gaza violate agreement: Hamas

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 7, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran’s Araghchi: Our nuclear bomb is resilience, not weapons

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS