A 28-year-old Georgia ICE detainee awoke chained to a hospital bed and had to ask whether she could have children, LA Times reports

• A group of medical experts have reviewed more than 3,000 pages of medical records for women seen by the Georgia OB-GYN accused of performing unnecessary procedures on people detained by Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
• The group produced a five-page report, which was obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
• In it, the experts noted that Amin had performed or pressured detainees to undergo medically unwarranted or overly aggressive procedures, the LA Times reported.

A group of board-certified OB-GYNs and nursing experts have reviewed more than 3,200 of medical records for 19 women detained at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia and found that they were subjected to unwarranted or "overly aggressive" OB-GYN procedures, usually without their consent, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The medical professionals, who are affiliated with Northwestern University, Baylor College and Creighton University, wrote a five-page report which they provided to Congress. A copy was also obtained by the LA Times.

The detained women were mostly Black and Latino and were all seen by Dr. Mahendra Amin, a Douglas, Georgia, doctor who came under fire earlier this year amid whistleblower allegations that he performed a high rate of hysterectomies.

The allegations, stemming from a 27-page report by advocates from Project South, prompted a congressional investigation. Other women have since come forward publicly to share their own negative experiences with the doctor.

"Both Dr. Amin and the referring detention facility took advantage of the vulnerability of women in detention to pressure them to agree to overly aggressive, inappropriate, and unconsented medical care," the report, viewed by the LA Times, alleges.

Women detained at the Irwin County Detention Center were referred to Amin, who is not board-certified, for gynecological care. He is paid by the US Department of Homeland Security.

The local hospital where he works, and also has a contract to manage, has said there have only been two hysterectomies performed there since 2017, casting doubt on the original claims of mass hysterectomies.

Since then, though, women have come forward providing records that they had been subjected to other forms of gynecological procedures, including to their uterus, ovaries and Fallopian tubes, that were either unnecessary or were not properly explained to the patients before being performed.

—Molly O'Toole (@mollymotoole) October 23, 2020

One woman identified only as Amanda told the LA Times she woke up from surgery chained to a hospital bed and immediately asked a nurse whether or not Amin had sterilized her.

"The 28-year-old immediately asked a nurse: "Do I still have ovaries? Can I still have kids?," The LA Times reported.

Amin had performed a cystectomy and dilation and curettage on Amanda, a prodecure to remove tissue from her uterus, without her consent, according to the LA Times. Her medical records show the procedures were done and don't include a signed consent.

Amanda, who was born in Guyana, told the LA Times Amin informed her that an ovarian cyst was threatening her life and that when she tried to ask questions, the doctor told ther that ICE would delay her future medical care if she refused treatment.

Other women had similar stories, including being sent for involuntary psych evaluations if they pushed back, LA Times reporter Molly O'Toole wrote in her exclusive story.

One detainee who had requested treatment for hot flashes was given a transvaginal ultrasound, but she didn't have reproductive organs to examine because of a previous hysterectomy.

For years before the allegations arose, Amin had a poor reputation among women detained at the ICE facility, the LA Times, Insider, and other outlets have reported.

Amin, through his attorney, Scott Grubman, has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

"We have gathered evidence and spoken with various witnesses ... who confirm that Dr. Amin always acted appropriately with patients, obtained informed consent, and used translators/interpreters whenever necessary," he most recently told the LA Times.

Irwin County Detention Center is no longer sending detainees to be seen by Amin.

Scott Sutterfield, a spokesman for LaSalle Corrections, the private prison contractor that operates Irwin for ICE, told the LA Times in a written statement that it is cooperating with the investigation.

"We are confident the facts will demonstrate the very malicious intent of others to advance a purely political agenda," Sutterfield told the LA Times. "It is well established that LaSalle Corrections provides high quality medical services in safe, secure, and humane residential environments, and our company strongly refutes allegations to the contrary."

Read the full LA Times exclusive report »

• Read more Insider coverage of the Irwin allegation:
• Women at an ICE facility in Georgia accused a doctor of performing unwanted hysterectomies on them. Lawyers say the problems run even deeper.
• A Georgia ICE detention center is no longer sending detained women to a doctor who some said didn't fully explain their procedures to them
• Hospital for ICE detention center accused of mass hysterectomies says it only carried out 2, casting doubt on allegations
• A whistleblower is accusing doctors at an ICE detention center of surgically removing the wombs of some immigrant detainees
• The House immigration subcommittee is investigating a whistleblower complaint accusing doctors at an ICE detention center of surgically removing detainees' wombs