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ICE, A Whistleblower And Forced Sterilization : 1A "Women [in detention] are faced with this problem where they don't have [medical] choices and they don't have the liberty to go find those choices," says migrant rights advocate Michelle Brané.

She also remarks about how for-profit prisons fit into the picture. "I once went to a [immigration detention] facility where the stock prices were displayed in the lobby," Michelle says. "It's a hugely profitable practice."

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ICE, A Whistleblower And Forced Sterilization

ICE, A Whistleblower And Forced Sterilization

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The Department of Homeland Security flag flies outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC. OLIVIER DOULIERY/OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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OLIVIER DOULIERY/OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security flag flies outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

Last week, Dawn Wooten, a nurse working at an ICE detention center in Georgia, made startling allegations about the treatment of the women detained there. Wooten filed a whistleblower complaint against the agency last Monday.

Dr. Mahendra Amin is the main physician accused of performing these invasive surgeries on detained women. But Wooten's allegations weren't just about medical abuse. They also claimed the facility failed to protect staff and detainees against coronavirus.

There's been a lot of focus on this one specific complaint, but immigrant rights advocates say this is part of a much bigger problem. We asked Michelle Brané, Elizabeth Matherne, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal to join us today and put these allegations into context for us.

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