A jail used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants is nearly empty in the wake of complaints filed against the facility. Among the complaints is a whistleblower allegation from a nurse claiming some female detainees at Irwin County Detention Center were forced to undergo hysterectomies. The jail has also been criticized for failing to protect immigrants and jail staff from COVID-19. Now, Irwin County officials worry the facility, which also houses federal and county inmates and is the area's largest private employer, may eventually be shut down, taking much-needed jobs with it.

The Biden administration has ordered the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla and a second county jail in Massachusetts to stop housing immigrant detainees.

More women are coming forward to say they were pressured to have reproductive surgeries they did not want or understand, offering a glimpse into alleged medical abuses at an ICE detention center.