U.S. immigration officials have secured travel documents that could allow the deportation of a disabled Georgia man held in immigration detention while his appeal remains pending.
Speakers during a virtual press conference on Friday called for the release of Rodney Taylor, 47, who has been held since January 2025 at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Advocates said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently obtained travel documents that could allow his deportation to Liberia while his immigration appeal remains unresolved.
Taylor’s case drew national attention last week after it surfaced during a congressional hearing involving then–Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Military.com reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Detention Center operator CoreCivic, and several advocacy organizations for comment.
The case comes amid growing scrutiny of immigration detention oversight in Congress. A recent court decision allowed Democratic lawmakers to conduct visits to immigration detention facilities without advance notice, increasing pressure on federal officials to address conditions inside those centers.
Family Warns Disabled Detainee’s Health Is Declining
Taylor’s wife, Mildred Taylor, said during the online press conference on Friday that her husband’s health has worsened over more than a year in detention and that he has not received medical treatment despite suffering flu symptoms.
She said Taylor has experienced fever, chills, severe headaches, coughing and congestion while being held at the Stewart Detention Center, an immigration detention facility operated by the private prison company CoreCivic under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“My husband is not a number. He’s a father, he’s a husband, he’s a beloved barber in our community,” Mildred Taylor said during the Zoom event Friday. “Rodney is being forced to endure conditions that are breaking his body and his spirit.”
She said Taylor has lost significant weight in detention and faces daily challenges navigating the facility because of his disabilities.
Advocates said Taylor was born in Liberia with severe physical disabilities, including a club foot and missing bones in his legs. Doctors later amputated both of his legs and fitted him with prosthetics after he arrived in the United States as a young child for medical treatment.
Taylor has lived in Georgia for most of his life and worked as a barber in the community, advocates said.
Supporters also raised concerns about access to medical care inside the detention center, saying detainees must submit requests through electronic tablets shared among large groups of detainees and that responses can take days or weeks.
Advocates Describe Harsh Conditions at Georgia ICE Facility
Advocates speaking during the press conference also raised concerns about conditions inside the Stewart Detention Center, including water quality, food and access to medical care.
Speakers said detainees with medical needs and disabilities often struggle to obtain accommodations inside the facility.
A recorded message from Taylor played during the event included thanks to supporters and criticism of detention conditions.
“We are human beings, and everybody deserves rights,” Taylor said in the recording.
Advocates said deportation could leave Taylor without family support in Liberia because most of his relatives live in the United States, and he has lived in Georgia since early childhood.
El Refugio, a nonprofit that supports detainees and families connected to the Stewart Detention Center, said Taylor’s continued detention raises serious concerns about his health and treatment.
“We urgently call for his immediate release and demand that immigration authorities uphold his basic human rights, provide proper medical care, and ensure full transparency and due process in his case,” Johanna Garcia, communications and advocacy manager for El Refugio, said in an email to Military.com.
They urged federal officials and lawmakers to intervene and release Taylor while his immigration appeal remains pending.
Debates about immigration detention have also drawn attention from lawmakers reviewing enforcement practices affecting families across the United States, including those connected to military households.
