Advocates Announce Release of Rodney Taylor After a Year of Medical Neglect in ICE Detention
May 4, 2026
CONTACT INFORMATION
James Woo, Director of Communications, Advancing Justice-Atlanta, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Carliana Harris, (943) 678-1368, charris@wearecasa.org
Johanna Garcia, (770) 249-3992, jgarcia@elrefugiostewart.org
Nekessa Opoti, comms@baji.org
Esther Njagi, media@undocublack.org
Atlanta, GA – On May 3, advocates and family members announced the release of Rodney Taylor from ICE detention, marking the end of a grueling year-long battle for the Georgia resident’s health and freedom.
Taylor, a double amputee who came to the U.S. on a medical visa at 2 years old, suffered serious medical neglect while in ICE custody and his health deteriorated significantly inside Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
His release follows a high-profile pressure campaign led by a broad coalition of community organizers, legal experts, and federal lawmakers who warned that the Trump administration’s continued detention of Rodney was a "death sentence" given his severe medical vulnerabilities.
Coalition partners supporting this effort include El Refugio, Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), Columbus GA Indivisible, We Are CASA, Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative, Progress Georgia, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, The UndocuBlack Network (UBN), and many community advocates across Georgia and beyond who organized, mobilized, and raised their voices to demand Rodney’s freedom.
The campaign reached a turning point through critical congressional intervention. Senator Raphael Warnock, Congresswomen Lucy McBath and Pramila Jayapal, State Representatives Gabriel Sanchez, Segun Adeyina, Jasmine Clark, Josh McLaurin and others joined by a coalition of 21 members of Congress and half a dozen members of the Georgia Legislature, publicly pressed ICE to address systemic medical neglect and act on the urgent humanitarian need for Rodney’s release.
“There were moments when I wasn't sure I would survive the neglect I faced in detention, but knowing there was a community outside those walls fighting for me kept me going,” said Rodney Taylor. “I am so relieved to be back with my family where I can finally receive the medical care and dignity I deserve. I am proof that when people organize and refuse to look away, we can win. I am home. I am free.”
“I am so glad that ICE has finally done the right thing,” said Sarah Owings, Rodney Taylor’s attorney. “I am deeply grateful to the coalition and every single person who worked to make sure Rodney can now receive the care, support, and safety he needs at home with his family.”
“For over a year, our family has been living in a constant state of fear and heartbreak, watching Rodney suffer behind bars while we fought for his basic humanity. Today, I can finally breathe again,” said Mildred Taylor. “This victory isn't just about my husband coming home; it’s a message to every family still waiting to be reunited that we will never stop fighting for them. My heart is full of gratitude for the coalition and the thousands of people who raised their voices to bring Rodney back to us.”
“In immigration detention, medical neglect, prolonged isolation, and systemic cruelty put lives at risk every single day,” said Amilcar Valencia, Executive Director of El Refugio. “Rodney’s release is a powerful reminder of what collective action can make possible, but it is also a painful reflection of how much suffering people are forced to endure before ICE does what should have been done from the start.”
“This victory belongs to Mildred, Rodney, and every person who refused to stay silent while Rodney’s life was on the line,” said Alberto Feregrino, Georgia organizing director for We Are CASA. “Rodney is home because his loved ones led with courage and this community organized, applied relentless pressure and forced ICE to act. We made it clear that we are united and we will not allow our neighbors to be torn from their families and disappeared into a mass detention and deportation system. This is what community power delivers.”
“Rodney Taylor’s release is a powerful reminder of why we do this work. As someone who spent months in detention, I know the weight of those cages and what it means to finally walk free. Moments like this affirm that our organizing, our advocacy, and our collective pressure matter. While we celebrate Rodney’s freedom, we remain committed to fighting for the many others who are still behind those walls” said Uchechukwu Onwa- Black Alliance for Just Immigration and Black Diaspora Liberty initiative.
"Rodney's release is a testament to a year of relentless organizing. He is more than a case. He is a husband, a loved one, and a double amputee who should never have endured such inhumane conditions. In a system built to isolate our people, we made sure he was never alone, driven by the unwavering fight of his wife, Mildred. But justice is not just seeing Rodney free. The human rights abuses at the Stewart Detention Center demand accountability and its closure. This must be a reckoning. I hope this victory motivates others who are fighting for the release of their loved ones to not give up because this fight is bigger than any one individual. We will keep fighting until everyone detained is free and reunited with their loved ones. When we fight, we win!” said Mikki Charles, Community Organizer for The UndocuBlack Network.
"Rodney is free today because of his own bravery and that of his family, especially his wife Mildred, who refused to stop fighting, organizing, and speaking out until her husband came home," said Samantha C. Hamilton, Senior Staff Attorney at Advancing Justice - Atlanta. "After spending over a year in the Stewart Detention Center where violence and cruelty abound, Rodney didn't allow the system to crush his spirit. We at Advancing Justice-Atlanta look forward to the day that every person in ICE detention is free and all detention centers are shut down for good. We will continue standing with impacted families and fighting with them side by side until the inhumane immigration detention system in this country is abolished."
“The unjust detainment of Rodney Taylor was devastating to the Atlanta community,” said Caroline Stover with Indivisible Georgia Coalition. “ICE has terrorized and abused too many of our friends, neighbors, and relatives. Rodney experienced the worst of the worst at Stewart Detention Center and we are beyond grateful that he has finally been released. Georgians will not stop fighting ICE as long as they continue their unjust, unlawful, inhumane actions in our state.”
Advocates are calling on the public to continue supporting Rodney’s recovery and to remain engaged in the ongoing fight against medical neglect and systemic abuse within ICE facilities.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
