'Mass Hysterectomies' at a Georgia ICE Facility
Coverage of a nurse's whistleblower complaint reported a high number of, or mass, hysterectomies performed on detained immigrant women at the Irwin County Detention Center.
The framing served a narrative of extreme abuse in the Trump administration's immigration detention system.
What was reported
Coverage of a nurse's whistleblower complaint reported a high number of, or mass, hysterectomies performed on detained immigrant women at the Irwin County Detention Center.
What actually happened
Reviews found the doctor at the center of the story performed two hysterectomies on detainees, which ICE deemed medically necessary. In a defamation suit, a federal judge ruled that several NBC statements were false, including the mass-hysterectomy and 'uterus collector' claims, and NBC settled in 2025. A 2022 bipartisan Senate report did find that women were subjected to excessive and often unnecessary gynecological procedures, so the broader abuse allegation was partly substantiated.
The proof
The federal court ruling in the doctor's suit against NBC, which found no mass hysterectomies, and the Senate subcommittee's finding that the unrequested-hysterectomy claim was false.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
'Mass Hysterectomies' at a Georgia ICE Facility — Debunked. The federal court ruling in the doctor's suit against NBC, which found no mass hysterectomies, and the Senate subcommittee's finding that the unrequested-hysterectomy claim was false. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/ice-mass-hysterectomies/
Original reporting
- The Intercept: Whistleblower reports high number of hysterectomies at ICE facility (Sept. 15, 2020)https://theintercept.com/2020/09/15/hysterectomies-ice-irwin-whistleblower/
- CNN: Whistleblower alleges high rate of hysterectomies at ICE facility (Sept. 2020)https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/immigration-customs-enforcement-medical-care-detainees/index.html
Corrections, findings & records
- NPR: NBC settles defamation lawsuit with doctor falsely labeled 'uterus collector' (Feb. 2025)https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305268/nbc-settles-lawsuit-ice-doctor-msnbc-maddow-georgia-detainee
- TIME: Senate committee finds medical abuse of detained women at Georgia ICE facility (Nov. 2022)https://time.com/6234031/medical-abuse-georgia-women-detained/
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: The Intercept: Whistleblower reports high number of hysterectomies at ICE facility (Sept. 15, 2020)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://theintercept.com/2020/09/15/hysterectomies-ice-irwin-whistleblower/
- Archived copy: CNN: Whistleblower alleges high rate of hysterectomies at ICE facility (Sept. 2020)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/immigration-customs-enforcement-medical-care-detainees/index.html