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MEXICO has demanded answers from the United States after a whistleblower nurse revealed that nearly 150 migrant women held in the US were sterilised between 2006 and 2010.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed on Tuesday that officials were interviewing six women who said they had suffered forced sterilisation and sexual abuse at an immigration detention centre.
If the allegations were found to be true, it would be “unacceptable” and sanctions would be taken, the minister said. Officials added that further potential cases may emerge as the investigation continues.
Mr Ebrard said: “This has to be cleared up. If it is confirmed, it would be a major issue and not only should be punished but also other measures would be taken.”
Last week, advocacy groups Project South and the Government Accountability Project revealed allegations made by whistle-blowing nurse Dawn Wooten of abuses at Irwin County Detention Centre in Georgia.
One detainee reported that she knew five women who had had forced sterilisations within a three-month period of last year.
She likened the facility to an “experimental concentration camp.”
More than 170 members of the US Congress, led by Representative Pramila Jayapal, have demanded an immediate and full investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.
In a statement requesting a response by Friday, they said: “The reports of mass hysterectomies cause grave concern for the violation of the bodily autonomy and reproductive rights of detained people.
“Everyone, regardless of their immigration status, their language, or their incarceration, deserves to control their own reproductive choices and make informed choices about their bodies.”