12/28/20 12/28/20 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we need to he full policy -- both policy or we're going to be in a world of hurt. amy: as president trump unexpectedly signs a $900 billion covid relief package after calling the bipartisan bill a disgrace, democrats are taking up his call to expand direct stimulus payments from $600 to $2000.

we will speak to califnia congressman ro khanna of california about the covid bill at how because of trump's delay in signing, millions of unemployed workers lost benefits due while trump vacation and golfed over the holiday weekend. then we look at how dozens of immigrant women detained by immigration and customs enforcement at the irwin county detention center have joined a class-action lawsuit against ice over allegations they were subjected to non-consensual and invasive gynecological procedures and surgeries that were later found to be unnecessary. >> i don't think this is ok. the staff that is here, we cannot trust them anymore. let us be with our family. but despite our case outside the detention centers.

-- let us fight our case outside the detention centers. this is my daughter's first christmas. her first thanksgiving. i missed it. amy: we will speak to two .urvivors one is still jailed and one is deported. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. president trump signed the $900 billion coronavirus relief measure and the government funding bill sunday evening after threatening to derail the bipartisan package last week and narrowly averting a government shutdown. millions were plunged into uncertainty over the christmas holiday as trump held up the signing of the bill, allowing unemployment programs to lapse, which will lead to delays in

benefits or loss of benefits for out of work americans. the relief package includes direct payments of $600 per peon, expand unemploymt benefits, and aid for small businesses. trump released a statement upon signing the bill, reitating his demand for $2000 checks and said he was sending back a redlined version of the bill to cut wasteful items. house speaker nancy pelosi said there will be a full house vote today on increasing direct payments after republicans blocked a move to pass the proposal by unanimous consent on thursday. in his statement, trump also said the senate was to investigate voter fraud in the november election, though senate majority leader mitch mcconnell did not mention this in his own statement about the legislation trump signed. trump has been calling for ontests in washington, d.c., january 6, despite the worsening pandemic, when congress meets to validate the election. trump is also calling on

lawmakers to review section 230, a provision in the national defense authorization act which offers liability protection to social media companies. trump vetoed that bill last week. lawmakers are expected to vote on overriding that veto this week. this all comes as covid-19 continues to ravage the united states with cases now topping 19 million and over 333,000 deaths. one in every 1000 americans has now died from the coronavirus. december, the deadliest month in the u.s. since the start of the pandemic, as experts warn things will likely get worse and post-holiday season travel wl lead tnew spikes. california became the first state to top 2 million cases last week as hospitals in southern california are reporting just a handful to no

intensive care unit beds available. in iiana, thdeath of a black doct from cod-19 is ining stark nelight onacism in mecal care . susan ore post a now-ral videon facebk earlier is monthdescribi raci treatme by medil staff o did norespond her pleas focare deste beingn intense pain and being doctor herself. pof thae show you have sething wng with you. inrder forou tget the medici. maintainedand i that i washite, would no haveo go thrgh tt. this is hoblackeople t them home send and don't know how to fight for themselves. amy: dr. moore died last sunday, just over two weeks after she posted the video. in new york, officials are

investigating a parcare community health network, a healthcare provider which may have fraudulently obtained doses of the covid-19 vaccine and administered it to non-priority groups. as coronavirus vaccination efforts continue across the country, federal officials and the head of the white house's operation warp speed acknowledged the goal of vaccinating 20 million people by years end will not be possible. nearly 2 million people in the u.s. have gotten their first dose of the vaccine. in international news, the european union has begun a coordinated rollout of the pfizer-biontech covid vaccine after it was approved last week. in latin america, which has been suffering a devastating second wave of the virus, mexico, chile, and costa rica have begun their mass vaccination programs. canada, japan, and south korea are some of the latest countries to detect cases of the highly infectious new covid variant which was originally identified in britain.

japan announced it is temporarily banning nonresident foigners from entering t country. meanwhile, officials in nigeria say they are investigating a new variant of coronavirus days after south african officials blamed a surge in covid-19 cases on another variant wch they claim is more contagious. south africa just passed one million cases and health workers say they are quickly becoming overwhelmed. covidare dealing with the -- it is covid all the time. amy: in china, citizen journalist zhang zhan was given a four-year jail sentence for her social media reporting from wuhan as the virus took hold at the start of the year. last week, the first cases were recorded in antarctica at a chilean research base.

britain and the european union have reached a brexit trade agreement after months of conttious negoations and with just days left before the current transition period ends on december 31. the key points of the deal include no tariffs and no quotas on traded goods, the end of free movement for u.k. citizens wiin theuropean union, and no hard border between the reblic of ireland and northern ireland. both sides expressed relief after the deal was reached. european commission president ursula von der leyen told reporters, "europe is now moving on." in ethiopia, the death toll from a mass shooting attack in the west of the country last wednesday has surpassed 220 people according to humanitarian workers. the ethiopian military killed dozens of suspects the day after the attack. the region has been plagued by increasing ethnic violence, which has caused tens of thousands to flee amid recent

fighting. this comes as ethiopia's military is still locked in a battle with tigray forces in the north of the country in a conflict which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. in bosnia, refugee rights groups are warning of aumanitarian crisis after a massive fire tore through an encampment for hundreds of asylum seekers, forcing them to shelter in tents despite the winter cold. the camp near bosnia's border with croatia is home to nearly 1000 people hoping to cross into western europe to seek asylum. aid groups say many of the refugees are already suffering from frostbite and hypothermia. this is sajid ali, a refugee from afghanistan. >> there isn't any heater inside the tents. it is dangerous to leave here because it snowed yesterday. snow hasee the

gathered on the top of the tents. so they might fall down. there are more than 500 living inside the tents. die, who is responsible? amy: at least 20 asylum seekers from countries in sub-saharan africa drowned after their boat capsized off tunisia's coast thursday. over 620 migrants have died while crossing the mediterranean sea this year according to the international organization for migration. over 3000 migratory deaths were recorded around the world throughout 2020, though the actual number is expected to be much higher. in niger, election officials are counting ballots after sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections, which could lead to ger's first-ever transfer of power between two democratally elected governments. former interior minister mohamed bazoum hopes to avoid a runoff by winning an outright majority against 29 other candidates. in the central african republic, three united nations peacekeepers were killed in two

separate attacks sunday just as presidential and parliamentary elections got underway. the attacks came hours after a coalition of nigerien rebels called off a ceasefire with the government, demanding a halt to voting. in the capital bangui, hundreds of women marched ahead of sunday's election, calling for an end to political violence in the central african republic. >> women are tired of war. this march is to support the u.n. peacekeeping force, protect the population. we no longer want or. we are tired. amy: one of afghanistan's top election monitors has been assassinated. on wednesday, gunmen opened fire on yousuf rasheed as he was driving to his office at the free and fair election forum of afghanistan in kabul. the u.s. state department condemned rasheed's killing as a barbaric and senseless assassination.

his death comes ahead of another round of peace talks between the taliban and the afghan government scheduled to be held in qatar next month. in saudi arabia, authorities have just sentence for prominent women's rights activist to five years and eight months in prison on charges of agitating for change, pursuing a foreign agenda, and using the internet to harm public order. she was arrested in 2018 after leading a movement to lift saudi arabia's ban on female drivers and overhaul its male guardianship system. her family says she has been held in solitary confinement, was subjected to abuse including electric shock, flogging, and threats of sexual violence. authorities may suspend part of first sentence, making her eligible for release in two months. she is also banned from traveling for five years. the trump administration has formally notified congress that it intends to authorize the sale

of nearly a half-billion dollars' worth of laser-guided bombs to saudi arabia. critics say the weapons could be used on civilians in yemen. in 2019, president trump vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have blocked arms sales to saudi arabia and the united arab emirates. president trump has pardoned more former members of his inner circle. just ahead of christmas, trump pardoned his disgraced former campaign chair paul manafort. last year federal judge ruled , a manafort violated terms of a plea agreement by intentionally lying to special counsel robert mueller's office after he was convicted on charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. trump also pardoned his long-time friend and adviser roger stone, who was convicted on seven of kerman -- criminal counts, including lying to congress and witness tampering. and trump pardoned charles kushner, the father of trump's son-in-law and senior adviser,

jared kushner. charles kushner was convicted in 2005 on charges of tax fraud, illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering. so far, 60 of trump's 65 pardons have gone to people he personally knows or who aided him politically. in tennessee, authorities say a 63-year-old white man whose body was found at the scene of a christmas morning explosion in downtown nashville was responsible for the blast. anthony quinn warner was a self-employed computer worker. before the blast, an rv with a recorded message warned area residents to evacuate. >> if you can hear this message, evacuate now. can hear this message, evacuate now," a woman's voice repeats from the rv. authorities say warner's dna was found among the wreckage. no motive has been identified

and no other fatalities were reported. three people were injured. the blast damaged dozens of structures and caused at least one building to collapse. the bomb went off outside an at&t transmission building, disrupting services, including some 911 calls. in columbus, ohio, protesters are calling for justice over the police killing last week of andre hill, a 47-year-old black man. hill was fatally shot by an officer just seconds into their encounter. bodycam footage shows hill was walking toward officer adam coy with a cell phone in his hand before coy shot him. columbus' director of public safety is deciding today whether to heed the recommendation of the city's mayor and police chief to terminate officer coy. this is alvin williamson, the brother of andre hill, speaking at a community vigil saturday. >> he used my brother as target practice.

you did not even give him a ance to peacefully present himself. to even ask a question of what was going on. you did not even give him a life in that minute that you opened fire in a reckless nature. amy: in illinois, three people were killed and three others wounded saturday after an active duty special forces soldier opened fire at a bowling alley in the city of rockford. 37-year-old u.s. army sergeant duke webb was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. police believe he had no ties to the victims. they are describing the shootings as a completely random act. nearly 42,000 people across the u.s. have been killed in gun violence in 2020, a record death toll. and a judge has delayed the execution of lisa montgomery,

the only woman on federal death row. montgomery suffers from mental illness caused by a life of abuse and her lawyers are asking for clemency. she was convicted for the gruesome 2004 murder of a pregnant woman. her execution this month was delayed after her lawyers got covid-19. a d.c. district judge ruled thursday the justice department cannot move ahead with a january 12 execution because the stay order will still be in place. advocates hope montgomery's life will be spared by joe biden, who has vowed to abolish the federal death penalty. to see the story of lisa montgomery, you can go to democracynow.org. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. when we come back, we will look at how president trump unexpectedly signed a $900 billion covid relief package after calling it a disgrace. we will get response from

congressman ro khanna, one of the democrats who are taking up his call to expand direct stimulus payments from $600 to $2000, but khanna called for a before trump did. and we will go to georgia to talk with a woman inside the irwin detention center and a woman who has been deported to jamaica. both underwent nonconsensual surgery by a doctor they were sent to buy the immigration jail. stay wh us. ♪ [music brk]

amy: part of the urban voices project. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. president trump unexpectedly signed a $2.3 trillion spending package sunday that includes a $900 billion covid-19 relief package. the bill includes direct payments of $600 for most adults, expanded unemployment benefits, aid for small

businesses, many for vaccine distribution, and a temporary extension of a federal eviction ban. millions were plunged into uncertainty over the holidays as trump held up the signing of the bill while he vacationed in florida. this allowed two unemployment programs to lapse. congresswoman ilhan omar tweeted sunday night -- "never forget, his tantrums have real life consequences for millions of americans. since unemployment insurance expired saturday, this delay will almost certainly postpone state unemployment payouts. i am so glad his days of inflicting pain are coming to an end." last week, trump blasted the bipartan bil describing it sgraceven thou his own administtion hadelped netiate the ll. trump isemanding lawmakers amend the bill to give $2000 in direct payments to most americans -- a proposal opposed

by most republicans but endorsed by democratic leaders. the democratic-controlled house will vote on increasing payments to $2000 today. trump has also asked lawmakers to rescind parts of the bill but the request is expected to be ignored. the covid relief package is part of a broader spending package that needed to be signed in order to avert a government shutdown. the broader bill includes a number of provisions endorsed by republicans, including new tax breaks and nearly $1.4 billion for trump's border wall. in other congressional news, the house is scheduled to vote today to override trump's veto of a $740 billion defense bill. we are joined now by democratic congressman ro khanno of california. last night he tweeted -- "i am glad we are finally having a vote tomorrow on a $2000 stimulus. the question remains why we

didn't have this vote in march when tim ryan and i proposed this. this is a lesson. it should not require permission from trump or republicans to vote on and push for bold policies." congressman khanna, welcome back to democracy now! that seems to me to be a clear message to democrats. can you explain what has happened over this holiday weekend? trump did not play ball with compass at the beginning, but was certainly out there playing golf through the weekend as unemployment lapsed and then out of the blue, without getting any concessions, he signed last night. >> that is a fair summary. he was just playing politics here, had no intention of actually pushing for $2000. he never tried to get mcconnell in republican senators on board. emanation, as you pointed out, never was advocating for that in the negotiations.

there is no doubt in my mind that trump is to blame for the delay, for the anxiety people had. and mcconnell and the republicans are to blame press not having to thousand dollars. that said, what i am saying is tim ryan and i am a bernie sanders, kamala harris, many of us have been calling for $2000 since march, april of this year. haveould not wait to republican support or republicans statement before voting on that. we need to make sure when we are advocating for working families, advocati for progressive policy, that we put that forward, have votes on that, and put pressure on the republicans to do the right thing. amy: explain how this will work. before he signed this bill last night, again, 24 hours earlier unemployment would not have lapsed and now millions, perhaps

12 million people are plunged into uncertainty. they might get it late. they might not get a week. and we'll lose that forever. but before he did that, nancy pelosi called for voting on the amendment to get it to $2000 today. without changes, trump has approved the legislation. this ould possibly get passed not only in the house, but in the senate? uphillink it is an battle to get it passed in the senate. we're going to vote tonight to but mcconnellcks, has already indicated he is supposed to that. is eitheruld take trump not just tweeting out but convincing republican senators to support it or the next administration making this a

critical component of what we are to push for. but the obstacle has always been in the senate. amy: there was were that jon ossoff in georgia was demanding david perdue pull his ads saying he had been part of passing this legislation because in trump did not sign off on it. trump is expected to go to georgia to campaign for the runoff elections next week. kevin mccarthy in the house, your colleague, reportedly had a conversation with trump yesterday. who knows what caused this change. what trump said in signing this, to save face because he got no changes but signed off on this bill, said it is because congress had agreed to look into voter fraud. you know, the tremendous amount of voter fraud he alleges that took place that he has never proven, even when cases were brought to one after another

trump-appointed judges, not to mention the supreme court. what about this? what about this legacy that trump -- this issue that trump keeps pushing right through january 6 when he is demanding calling for thousands to come to washington, d.c., to challenge the final approval of the election of joe biden and kamala harris? >> your analysis is correct. this has nothing to do with helping the american people. this is not a debate about whether we get $2000 checks to working families. this was trump upset with mcconnell because mcconnell is not willing to have senators challenge the results of the election and mcconnell has alread congratulated joe biden. trump says, well, i can blow up this deal and actually cost to those georgia races if i blow up and deal because -- purdue

loeffler in the races. who knows what concessions they make? who knows what mitch mcconnell has promised him on january 6? it is real concern. we can be vigilant there is a transition and you don't have shenanigans with the senate or the house of representatives on january 6. amy: so the same time you have this vote expected to take place, you said tonight, that nancy pelosi is putting forward to increase the payments to $2000, if you could quickly say why the democrats did not demand this from the beginning, why it took trump -- it seemed alexandria ocasio-cortez, pelosi, schumer were his major enemies. but then he put mitch mcconnell at the top of the list because he dared to say the words --sident elect "president-elect joe biden" so ticked him off that he put in

the statement at the end after mnuchin negotiated the whole thing. republicans,, or why didn't they insist on this from the beginning? >> that is a good question. that is what i have been asking on twitter. there were many of us, not just ogressives, people who are highly respected in the party -- kamala harris, tim ryan, many saying, let's get $2000 in the pockets of ornery americans. let's vote on it. we should have been voting on it, campaigning loudly and clearly since march probably because it may have been effective in actually getting americans relief and secondarily, would have made it clear that one party is forgetting money to working families and putting money in the pockets of people and the other party is blocking it. instead i think we work to reluctant, not sufficiently involved. we finally passed a heroes act, $1200 checks, not $2000 checks.

is ourthink this shows policies are popular. easy donald trump realizing it too late. we should be willing to have votes on it, to advocate for it. we are on the side of people. we don't have to wait for some kind of biblical bipartisan consensus to advocate for good policy. amy: $1.5 million for the southern border wall between u.s. and mexico that trump had insisted mexico would pay for, reportedly pushing scores of these projects forward because he thinks possibly president joe biden will stop this wall. but what about that? that is part of this bill. that is part of the democrats and republicans arrived at my consensus. >> that's wrong. the progressive party voted against authorization for the homeland security and against authorization for defense. we voted for the part of the

bill that would get $600 checks to people and would find most of the other government. the speaker split the bill because she knew there were many progressives who not in good conscience could vote for more funding for the border wall, could not vote for this bloated defense budget. that is something we're going to have to try to reverse in the first year of the biden administration. amy: let's go to a tweet you sent out earlier this month. he wrote -- "if you vote for a bloated $740 billion defense budget, which over 50% of our discretionary budget, or the trump $1.6 trillion tax cut, please save us the lectures about deficits. you have no credibility." in addition to voting on the , bothchecks to go out houses of congress are expected

to overturn trump's veto of the ndaa. can you explain what this is about? >> it is very simple. trump has vetoed the defense bill, which would be $740 billion. his reasons are disingenuous. he once to strip tech copies of section 230 protections, which if you strip them of that, would hurt the internet. this is not some softball report. at the bottom line is, $740 billion is way too much defense spending. we are spending money on aircraft, on the modernization of nuclear weapons, and we can't find money to get food to people who need it? we cannot get money for more rental assistance for folks are going to face eviction? we can't find money to get $2000 into the pockets of americans? the priorities are wrong. i'm not going to vote to override his veto.

there is a mistake crisis in washington where everyone is fine back in because -- flying back in because they don't want something where we don't has the defense budget at this bloated level. my view is, let's ask why we're spending so much money on defense when we have other needs of national security. one other point, the nih has the ability to have universal viral detectors that have antiviral treatments. why are we funding that those programs instead of buying more aircraft carriers? and because victim of the military bill you say you will break from the democrats and voted to override, the trump administration has formally notified congress it intends to authorize the sale of nearly a half billion dollars of laserguided bombs to saudi arabia. critics say the weapons could be used on civilians in yemen in 2019, trump vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have blocked arms sales to saudi

arabia and the united arab emirates. khanna, youber ro have continually championed the issue of peace in yemen and the stopping of u.s.-backed saudi -uae were on the people of yemen. on what thatnt means, what you're going to do about it, and the fact he recently told "the washington post" biden should immediately reverse course if this deal goes through? mustesent like biden reverse course. i am convinced he will. i think it secretary of state designee understands that humanitarian crisis in yemen and wants to make sure we bring into an end. the first thing we need to do is stop supplying the saudi's not just with weapons, but also with any logistical support, intelligence support that they can use to increase their offensive in yemen.

we need to support our griffis at the u.n. who has been doing a terrific job bringing the parties together. this is a last-ditch effort from trump toward the saudis. he is been pro-saudi for four years and it is led to one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world. that is going to end january 20. i have confidence in tony blinken and jake sullivan. they understand the depths of this crisis and will work with congress to help bring it to an end. amy: let me ask you represent -- californiaess in congress was of covid is reaching across the country with 19es topping million. one in every 1000 americans has now died of covid 19. december, the deadliest month in the u.s., the start of the pandemic, as experts warn things

will likely get worse with postholiday season travel leading to new spikes. your state, california, becoming the first to top 2 million cases last week as hospitals in southern california are reporting just aandful t no icu beds available stop congressman ro khanna, can you talk about what is happening now and what needs to happen? >> it is tragic. it is unprecedented, unfathomable. we are losing over 3000 americans a day. i was a there are four things that need to happen. first, new leadership needs to set a tone about the importance of wearing masks and social distancing. it is not just legislation. leadership matters. i think president biden will do that. seco, we need an efficient and fair distribution system of the vaccine. that remains our best bet.

third, we need to continue to invest in testing and contact tracing. vestal is not happening in many parts of the country. and finally, we need massive investment in making sure people have health care. people paying $200 protest. i had my family tested and because $200 for each test and i can get reimbursed by insurance and some insurance doesn't. we need to make sure testing and islth care related of covid free so can incentivize people to do that. amy: how do you issue of medicare for all will play when you have covid that has really exposed the racial economic disparities when it comes to health care, particularly who has access and doesn't -- this goes to issues from vaccine access to test access to mask

access. how you, proponent of medicare congresscan lead a new and a democratic administration -- which, frankly, president biden has said he will veto medicare for all -- do you think you can change that given what so many people and in this country have understood? >> i do. medicare for all has become a moral imperative. here's the thing, amy. in this country's history when we have had past crises, we rouge -- respond with bold legislation. we have now had the greatest health care crisis arguably in the last 100 years. it has exposed the people who don't have health care are having the worst outcomes, facing either death or facing high risk of illness.

it should be obvious that the solution is that people have health care coverage from the day they are born. that is what medicare for all is. we need to have a vote in the house of representatives i medicare for all. we need to continue to advocate for it. we have to build consensus for it. some people say, the votes are not there come the senate votes or not there. it franklin roosevelt or lyndon johnson had thought that way, they never would have gotten anything done. lbj could've said, well, the southern roads are not there, let's never pass civil rights. that is not imaginative leadership. the challenge is to build a consensus. if we're not put you do it in thisrisis, then when? amy: ro khanna, thank you for being with us, democratic congressmember from california. he represents silicon valley. a member of the house committee on oversight and reform. next up, how dozens of immigrant then detained by ice at irwin county detention center in georgia have joined a class-action lawsuit against ice

over allegations they were either forcibly sterilized or subjected to nonconsensual invasive gynecological procedures. we will go inside went to speak with a woman who alleges this and to jamaica, the country of jamaica, when another woman was deported after her surgery. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. a warning to our listeners and viewers, this next segment includes graphic descriptions of alleged assaults. we turn to an update now on how dozens of immigrant women detained by immigration and customs enforcement at the irwin county detention center have joined a class-action lawsuit against ice over allegations they were subjected to non-consensual and invasive

gynecological procedures and surgeries that were later found to be unnecessary, and in some cases left them unable to have children. the complaint was filed last week in the u.s. district court for the middle district of georgia and cites sworn testimony from at least 35 women about their treatment by mahendra amin, a physician in ocilla, georgia. the lawsuit also describes how the women suffered retaliation for speaking out and faced threats of dortation. one the survivors, who is still detained at irwin, joined a call with reporters on tuesday.

[indiscernible] >> i feel like i have no control over my body anymore. amy: and eminent, elizabeth will join us by phone from the irwin county jail. and we will hear from another woman who says dr. amin pressured her to get a hysterectomy when she refused, she found she removed her full up in tubes. she has since been deported. also with us is azadeh shahshahani, legal and advocacy director at project south, and co-counsel for women at irwin

who say they were subjected to these nonconsensual and invasive procedures by dr. amin. in september, her organization joined with the government accountability project and others to file a complaint about the alleged abuse, based primarily on nurse dawn wooten's testimony, a nurse who worked in the jail operated by the lasalle corrections corporation, who spoke out about the high number of undocumented women undergoing hysterectomies, a surgery to remove the uterus, without proper consent. we welcome you back democracy now! thank you for being with us. let's begin with azadeh shahshahani. can you layout this -- we have been following this closely. but explain who is included in this, what the allegations are, and what has happened to irwin, the detention center, as well as dr. amin. >> thank you for having me.

first i should say i'm glad the complaint filed in september come along the georgia detention watch and the cell georgia immigrant, testimony of courageous clients in the whistleblowing nurse has paved the way for more women survivors to come forward and tell the world about what they suffered at this facility. this lawsuit filed with our , a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of women detained at irwin subjected to invasive and nonconsensual gynecological procedures. in total, we have more than 40 women who filed for testimony in court, despite consistent

attempts by ice to silence them post of filing also includes evidence showing ice in the private contractors at the facility knew as far back as 2018 about the medical abuse being included on women and yet they did not do anything. instead, they kept sending women to this doctor who is not even board-certified. the lawsuit also focuses on the issue of retaliation. ince we filed the complaint september, instead of cooperating with the investigation, ice has been actively trying to cover their own facts and erase evidence, deporting survivors and witnesses. so they have already deported six and were trying to deport several more of her lawyers and congress stepped in to try and stop the deportations. and using other tactics of written -- of retaliation, such

as threat of placing women in solitary or actually placing them in solitary confinement. running still up and despite our demands for several years now to shut this place down. they are not sending women to dramin anymore this moment. america we're going to go to elizabeth, a survivor of alleged medical abuse speaking to us from inside irwin. she is a limited amount of time she can speak because she is calling from inside the jail. elizabeth, tell us your story, how you ended up at irwin, and how you ended up having a medical procedure done on you. it sounds like this call has goingisconnected. we're to try and get this call back on

, be able to speak with elizabeth, survivor of alleged medical abuse from inside the irwin detention center. it is very difficult for these women to get their stories out, but they increasingly are. we're going to go right now to wendy dowe, who has testified while she was detained in irwin, dr. amin told her she had large cysts and pushed her to get a hysterectomy, which she refused but he still performed a surgery that left her unable to have children. doctors later told her the teacher was completely unnecessary. she is originally from jamaica and lived in the u.s. for more than 20 years and has four u.s.-born children. she was deported in may. wendy, if yocan tell us what happened to you? clubs thank you for having me. good morning. september 2018, i went to court for traffic violation. -- i gott, they put

arrested and they put a ice on me. i ended up in irwin cnty. i was there for a year and six months. [indiscernible] claim tthe medica department. they did not do anything until one day they came for me. i did not know where i was going. they woke me up at 5:00. when i went, it s dr. amin. an x-ray, a sonogram on me, and told me i had multiple cysts. i asked him what that meant.

who told me i had a mass on my ovary. i'm like, what is that? yourid, it is a mass in ovary. it is a mass. i went back to the facility. i spoke to the nurses. they said they don't know because dramin did not send them any type of paperwork. so i think it was a couple of weeks after that and they woke me up again at:00 in the morning. i went to dr. amin again. have a size of a caaloupe in my ovaryhat is cancer. by then i was shaking and crying and asking what caused it. he said, he couldn't tell me because he was hired thrgh ice

anhad to sd the paperwork back to the facility. so i went back to the facility and spoke to the nurses. alterable papers to them. they never answer. i think is is the cause of the stress that i could not see out of my eyes, my blood pressure was all the way up and my vision was lost and the next morning they came, 50, told me i was going to the doctor. wentught it was -- when to the doctor, they told me i had surgery. and basically what i'm going through, i was like, out of my mind and wasn't concentrating on what they were saying because i had a headache, could not see out of my eyes or anything. amy: to the doctor cut your fallopian tubes? >> yeah, when i woke up, i noticed i couldn't wake up at all because i was oanesthes.

when i went bacto the facility, i did not know -- noticed. i noticed there were three holes in my stomach. i was asking, what is this? they say i got surgery but they don't know what type of surgery. after requesting and reqsting and requesting medical papers, they brought it back to me. that is when i know that my fallopian tubes -- amy: how much later were you deported to maica where we are speaking to you now? think it was a couple of months after that. amy: and your kids are still in the united states? >> they were in the united states with a friend. i had an 11-year-old, she is disabled. i had a 14-year-old at the time. she turned 14 now t she was 12. then i had a 15-year-old. they were with a friend at the time. amy: i want to go, windy, back

to the facility, the jail. you're speaking to us from deportation in your demanding you be allowed to come back to this country where you lived for 20 years. a number of women have had their deportation stopped. we are back with elizabeth inside the facility. we don't want to leave her -- inside the jail. elizabeth, if you can describe what happened to you? >> yes. i arrived at irwin county detention center in july 2020. a little after i arrived, i started feeling a bomb in a pain so i asked to see a doctor. i went multiple times and they made appointments. when i went to this appointment, i would to see dr. amin. shackled. i had chains. the nurses took my weight, temperature, and my blood pressure with my ankles

shackled. amy: you are in for a civil offense. they are saying you violated your immigration status. yet called the police yourself because you said you were being abused by your partner. and they arrested you? >> yes. amy: said now you're shackled and brought to the gynecologist. >> yes, ma'am. they took my weight and put me back in a room where the nurse, to take off my clothes. so they had to take off my chains for me to take off my close. i'm sitting on the bed. dr. amin comes in. he does not acknowledge me. he does not say anything. his demeanor is very much mainly and rude. this like he is unapproachable. i did not even say hi to him. he's arts putting his gloves on and getting ready for the procedure that is going to be done, which he does not tell me what is going to be done. me, she is inth

front of me. my bodygoing to see parts. i told a nurse if she could please move. the person said she could not leave the room but she just moved from there. then dr. amin, his exact words were "open up your legs." at that moment i felt like i had no control over my body. he made me feel worthless. i did what he told me to. then he said, is going to be cold and he stuck this tube inside of me hard. it was a vaginal ultrasound. as i'm about to turn to the monitor, he tells me i have a cyst on my left ovary and i'm going to get a shot. if it does not dissolve, i will be scheduled for surgery. at that time, i did not know what a deppo shot was. i did not know it was birth control. i have been scared of birth

control because it makes my family's hormones crazy. they gain a lot of weight and they get at me on their face and stuff like that. if i would've known it was for birth control, i would not have gotten it. he just said you were getting adeppo shot. amy: you're talking about depo-provera being injected into your arm. >> yes, ma'am. he leaves the room after that and i got dressed and they shackled me once again. the nurse comes in and gives me signepo shot and makes me the paper, which i did not know the paper was because i could not even hold it because i had handcuffs on my arm. i just grabbed a pen and signed the paper. on my way back to the detention center, i was talking to this girl also transported with me. she tells me she also has a cyst on her left ovary and got the dep shotot have babies

was birth controlo. amy: can you tell me what you're calling for now? jail, you are in this ice through christmas. your daughter is now 10 months old and you did not -- you have not seen her since she was four months? >> that is correct. i've not seen her in six months. amy: and you're in jail where you're exposed to covid. what are your calls for? >> i am in the jail, correct. amy: what are you calling for? this, forwant out of this -- for everyone to be freed in here. it is not fair for us to be in here when we have our kids, our family members out there. i would immigration come if it is possible, to be shut down. woman to go any through what i'm gng through.

amy: this is an astounding story, how many women are telling your story. wendy, were deported, as elizabeth is inside the jail, or held there until you were sent back, having been sterilized by the same doctor. wendy dowe, what are you calling for? >> am calling for the shutdown of irwin county. i am calling for changes. minor offense, people who have been in the country for decades, people that don't know -- like, you don't know the country. people to not go to the same thing like we went through. have four u. citizen children my children went through hell. i am in jamaica now. financially, i can't support em. my daughter has medicaid in america. e got medicaid because she is a disabled child. they can't get the medication

needed here because they are not from here. i already got an american citizen that died in america because of the health care, and i don't want the same thing to happen to my children. amy: i want to go back to azadeh havehahani and -- we only 30 seconds. do you see it being feasible since congress members have taken up this issue as well, to shut down this ice facility, this ice jail or women are being sterilized against their will, having medical procedures they don't realize? what can be done at this point? >> at this point we are looking to the biden administration and the demands to immediately shut this place down. are asking congress to put pressure on ice to shut down irwin, and hold the private prison accountable for women who suffered for the witnesses to be

able to come back and testify about what happened. we need a broader investigation. amy: we want to leave it there but we will continue to investigate. azadeh shahshahani, wendy dowe,

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