I am writing to demand immediate action to secure the release of Rodney Taylor, a disabled double amputee who has been unlawfully detained by ICE in Georgia since January. Rodney came to America at age two for medical care and has lived here for over 40 years. He runs a barber shop in Atlanta, recently became engaged, and has had no legal issues for thirty years. The state of Georgia granted him a full pardon for a teenage burglary charge, yet ICE is holding him in solitary confinement and denying him basic disability accommodations.
The conditions of Rodney's detention constitute cruel and inhumane treatment. He was in the process of receiving new prosthetic legs when detained, and the facility refuses to give him a day pass to obtain them. His old prosthetics require frequent charging, which staff often fail to do. He cannot reach the dining room for meals and depends on other detainees to bring him food. The facility offered a manual wheelchair, but he is missing digits on one hand and cannot push it. His health is rapidly declining due to these denials of care.
According to Physicians for Human Rights, at least 68 people have died in ICE custody since 2017, with the vast majority of deaths being preventable. Rodney faces potential deportation to Liberia, which would be a death sentence given his medical needs and lack of support systems there. The federal government should not be allowed to override a state pardon, particularly when the result is subjecting a disabled person to conditions that threaten their life.
Rodney has filed a habeas corpus application in federal court citing over eight months of detention without proper medical care or opportunity to post bond. I urge you to intervene immediately to secure his release and ensure he receives the medical care and accommodations he requires. This is a matter of basic human dignity and constitutional rights.
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