Activists Aim to Shut Down Georgia Immigration Detention Center

In what has become something of an annual tradition, immigration rights activists came to south Georgia on November 22 to hold a vigil and rally in favor of forcing a federal immigration detention center to shut down. For several years, activists have issued a variety of complaints about the center, including its remote location, which makes it difficult for people detained in the center to communicate with family and attorneys.

Also at stake in the case is the case involving Roberto Medina-Martinez, a detainee of the immigration detention center that passed away at a hospital in Columbus in 2009. Medina-Martinez’s widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the government for $1 million, claiming that her late husband had passed away from a type of heart muscle inflammation condition called myocarditis. The government denied any wrongdoing in the case but did come to a settlement with the woman.

Despite the government’s denials, the immigration rights activists that hold the annual event claim that the wrongful death suit is just one of several pieces of evidence that would favor that the immigration center in Lumpkin, just over 100 miles south of Atlanta, should be closed down. In addition to the lawsuit and the location of the facility, activists say that many families have been denied simple contact visits, and that the center has deported many of its detainees without allowing them to first see their family.

At this time it does not appear that Georgia government plans to respond to these activists, which means the tradition will likely continue into next year.

If the actions of government agencies or officials may have been responsible for significant injuries or death for a loved one, consult the experienced Atlanta wrongful death attorneys at

McMenamy Law, LLC.