Double amputee released after 15 months in Georgia ICE detention
Rodney Taylor’s stay in a South Georgia immigrant detention facility is over.
Facing imminent deportation to Liberia during his time in federal custody, the Gwinnett County barber has instead been able to reunite with his family — a first since his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in January of 2025.
In the months that followed, sustained activism in Georgia, and the involvement of lawmakers at both the state and federal levels, made Taylor among the highest profile ICE detainees under President Donald Trump’s second administration.
Mistreatment allegations by family members, activists, and lawyers representing Taylor, who is a double amputee, raised questions about ICE’s ability to safely detain people with disabilities.
Taylor’s release was confirmed Sunday evening by Georgia nonprofit organizations including El Refugio, which supports detainees at ICE’s Stewart Detention Center, about 140 miles south of Atlanta. That is where Taylor was held since his 2025 arrest. No details were shared about the legal developments that made Taylor’s release possible, or the current status of his immigration case.
“We kindly ask that the family be given space and privacy at this time as they reunite after this long separation,” the nonprofits wrote in a statement.
In a GoFundMe campaign published Sunday, Taylor described his time in immigration custody as “incredibly difficult.”
He added: “I am working hard to rebuild my life and provide for my family during this transition. The challenges of starting over (are) overwhelming, but I am determined to move forward and create a stable future for myself and my loved ones.”
According to the fundraiser, Taylor is seeking support for basic necessities such as housing and food. He also hopes to secure a new location for his barbershop.
Born with severe disabilities to his legs and arms, Taylor, now 47, was brought from Liberia to the U.S. by his mother at age 2 under a medical visa so he could receive treatment. The disabilities eventually led to his left leg being amputated above the knee and his right leg below the knee.
By the time of his ICE arrest, Taylor’s medical visa had long expired, though he had a valid work permit. He also had a pending application for a green card through his adult son, who is a U.S. citizen.
ICE has kept Taylor in detention because of a felony burglary conviction to which he pleaded guilty as a teenager, and from which he was pardoned by the state of Georgia in 2010.
Since Taylor entered ICE custody, his lawyers and family members have said he has not been able to fully charge the prosthetics that help him walk, and they’ve also expressed concern about a lack of access to appropriate medicine to prevent chafing at one of his amputation areas.
According to Taylor’s wife, Mildred Danis-Taylor, more recent health complications included significant weight loss, high blood pressure and a diagnosis of bone spurs, which cause severe pain.
In March, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta) told then Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about Taylor’s detention struggles during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
Noem responded that she would “look into” Taylor’s case.
Stewart Detention Center, she added, should be “held to the same standards as all as our federal detention standards, which are the highest in the nation.”
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