Whistleblowers, We Need You
By: Nishant Uppal, Caroline Lee, Parsa Erfani, and Katherine Peeler
@NishantUppal7, @Caroline_HLee, @ErfaniParsa, @KatieHale29
In truth, there is power. But only if one speaks truth to power. Recently, Dawn Wooten made national headlines when she submitted a formal whistleblower complaint to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General (DHS OIG). While working as a licensed practical nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC), a facility run by the private for-profit LaSalle Corrections, Ms. Wooten described numerous accounts of medical neglect for immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her allegations revealed a shocking lack of COVID-19 testing in the facility, routine denials of medical care, and mass hysterectomies of vulnerable female detainees. As a result, 168 Congressman are now demanding an investigation into these allegations, and the public is gaining a better glimpse into ICE detention centers that have previously denied access to members of Congress to avoid bringing national attention to horrendous living conditions faced by immigrants in detention.
This isn’t the first time individuals have come forward to shed light on the paltry conditions in ICE detention facilities. In July of 2018, Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson wrote to members of Congress about the ongoing threats of harm to children in the family detention program. Upon witnessing children’s fingers destroyed by cell doors and countless missed diagnoses, the physicians submitted numerous reports to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And after watching those reports fail to lead to change, they felt compelled to reveal to the public the atrocities occurring behind ICE’s closed doors. In speaking out, they risked not only significant hostility, but also being blacklisted in their field. And yet, they shared stories of human rights abuses that few others could possibly tell. Without the courage of these whistleblowers, we live in an unknown that allows ICE to claim detention centers are like summer camp, even as detained children huddle together in jail cells to nurse injuries their parents may never see.
Our group of physicians and medical students at the Harvard Asylum Clinic works closely with immigrants who have previously been or are currently detained. Every week we learn about harrowing experiences directly from detained individuals who are denied appropriate, dignified medical care. Last week we spoke to a cancer survivor who was told he had a new lung nodule with no explanation or plan for follow up. This week we heard from a man who was sick with a fever but was denied COVID-19 testing. Research groups like ours and persistent investigative journalists can interview handfuls of detainees at a time. But frontline medical staff in detention facilities have consistent interactions with large numbers of detainees and can more easily describe dangerous trends happening behind closed doors.
This is why we need more whistleblowers like Dawn Wooten to come forward.
Unfortunately, there is inadequate federal oversight for ICE facilities, despite the heightened need for inspections and accountability during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the DHS OIG is charged with conducting independent investigations of facilities, the office has dramatically decreased the number of reports they have released since 2016. Existing OIG reports also rely heavily on surveying ICE personnel, rather than speaking to detained individuals directly. Despite demands by Congressional leaders for the establishment of an ombudsman office to investigate misconduct in detention facilities, DHS has not yet used its funding allocation to create a functional office.
When research groups, journalists, members of Congress, federal investigators, and detainees themselves are unable to reveal abuse in ICE detention facilities, the public must rely on whistleblowers to unveil systematic violations of human rights.
We want to be clear: it is the government’s responsibility to fulfill their obligations to respect the rights of detainees that are in their custody. It is also the responsibility of the government to fix its broken systems. Whistleblowing incurs possible significant personal and professional tolls and should not be undertaken lightly. We must continue to put pressure on our government to own up to its failures and right them.
Dawn Wooten’s personal experiences were essential to call attention to the abuses inside ICE detention. As a medical professional, she recognized the duty she had to her patients who were being mistreated inside detention. Now she is protected by organizations, such as the Government Accountability Project, which help whistleblowers file effective complaints safely. However, to bring more awareness to the public sphere and to enact true change, we need more people to bravely and publicly speak against violations they witness. So to all of the staff working inside ICE detention centers: we desperately need your voice now more than ever.
If not you, then who?
Nishant Uppal, Caroline Lee, and Parsa Erfani are evaluators at the Harvard Asylum Clinic and medical students at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Katherine Peeler is the Medical Director of the Harvard Asylum Clinic and Medical Expert with Physicians for Human Rights. Together, they comprise the Peeler Immigration Lab.
