Double amputee Rodney Taylor on Monday revealed the horrific conditions he endured during his 15 months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.
“When I was in detention, the day I got there they told me I was going to be deported in three months. No going to court, no seeing a judge,” Taylor said. “Without the Lord, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”
At a press conference in Norcross, Taylor was flanked by his family, attorney, and supporters. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who pushed for the Georgia barber’s release, was also in attendance, along with state Reps. Ruwa Romman and Jasmine Clark. The reason for Taylor’s release was not disclosed.
The Georgia barber’s family shared the news of his release on social media last weekend.
“Thank you to everyone who protested, called, emailed, shared and donated, your collective efforts made this all possible. We are deeply grateful to you all for your support,” the statement read.
In March, Taylor’s wife, Mildred Danis-Taylor, told Capital B Atlanta that she feared her husband was in imminent danger of being sent back to Liberia after learning officials had obtained travel documents.
Taylor, 47, was born with severe disabilities and came to the United States with his mother at 2 years old on a medical visa organized by Shriners Children’s Hospital. Before his arrest, he worked in Gwinnett County under a valid work permit and was in the process of obtaining his green card.
He was detained by ICE because of a felony burglary charge that he pled guilty to as a teenager. He was pardoned by the state of Georgia in 2010.
According to Taylor, he endured horrific conditions at the Stewart Detention Center near Lumpkin, Georgia.
“At one point they refused to feed me for three weeks because they expected me to walk the length of a football field to get some food,” Taylor said. When he complained about poor conditions, he said, he was placed in segregation for three days.
“Stewart is not equipped to hold detainees,” he said. “There is black mold in the water reserves.”
Danis-Taylor said her husband had not had access to accommodations despite his profound disabilities.
“There are times he cannot take a shower,” Danis-Taylor said. “He can’t do it with the general population; he has to remove his prosthetics and then he crawls across floors covered with mold and feces to shower.”
Less than 24 hours after his release Taylor said people from around the world, including Nigeria and Ghana, called him to say how happy they are he got released even though they got deported.
“A month ago I wouldn’t believe I’d be here right now,” Taylor said.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to Capital B Atlanta’s request for comment about the conditions of Taylor’s detention.
Read More:
- ‘My Husband Crawls to Shower’: Rodney Taylor’s Wife on His ‘Horrific’ ICE Detention
- Atlanta Lawyers Work to Get Unlawfully Deported Black Immigrants Returned to the U.S.
This story has been updated.
