GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A Gwinnett County father of two and double amputee is speaking out after spending 15 months in ICE detention at a south Georgia facility.
Rodney Taylor says he came to the United States on a legal medical visa when he was 2 years old, but was taken into custody in January 2025 because of a burglary charge from his teenage years.
Until last week, Taylor was housed at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
“The Stewart Detention Center is not equipped to handle people with disabilities. The building is old and rundown, there are water leaks through the ceiling, there are black mold deposits in the drinking water,” Taylor said.
Taylor says detainees also struggled with limited access to food and medical care.
“People are suffering and losing their lives. These are human beings, but they treat us like cattle waiting to be slaughtered or in this case, deported,” Taylor said.
Taylor was released following advocacy efforts from his wife, Mildred, Congresswoman Lucy McBath and others.
McBath says Taylor’s case reflects broader concerns within the immigration detention system.
“He’s not an exception, he was an example of a much larger problem in this country,” McBath said.
Taylor says he is grateful to be free, but believes more work remains for other detainees still being held.
WSB Radio’s Graham Carroll contributed to this story.
