Mexico asks for information on alleged migrant abuse at U.S. centers

The Mexican government said Wednesday it has requested information from the United States about claims that migrants were subjected to hysterectomies at a detention center in Georgia and that a migrant allegedly suffered sexual abuse at a facility in Texas.

“A formal request has been made to the appropriate authorities for a report on the supposed negligent actions or rights abuses at immigration detention centers,” Mexico’s foreign relations department said.

The department said consular personnel would try to guarantee migrants’ rights are respected at detention centers. It said it would follow the cases and provide consular assistance to any victims.

On Monday, a former nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia alleged that staff members had performed questionable hysterectomies on migrant women held there. A top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement medical official has “vehemently” disputed the allegations.

Also this week, an immigrant woman who has accused guards of sexually assaulting her at a detention center in El Paso was deported.

The woman alleged that guards at the El Paso Processing Center forcibly kissed her and targeted her in places where they could not be seen by security cameras. After the Texas Tribune and ProPublica first reported the allegations, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general opened an investigation into her case and allegations from at least two other people.