After her double amputee husband was detained by ICE, one woman is still fighting for his release
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Rodney Taylor, 47, has been detained since January 2025 despite having been pardoned in 2010 for a teenage burglary conviction, according to his attorney.
Mildred Danis-Taylor’s confrontation with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Capitol Hill has brought renewed attention to the treatment of detainees in U.S. immigration facilities, particularly her husband, Rodney Taylor, a double amputee held at an ICE detention center in Georgia.
According to reporting from The Guardian, the moment came during a March 4 congressional hearing, where Rep. Lucy McBath pressed Noem on allegations of unsafe and degrading conditions at the Stewart Detention Center. Citing Rodney Taylor’s experience, McBath described an environment where he allegedly had to “crawl through that muck and squalor of feces and bodily fluids” to access basic facilities.
Danis-Taylor, who stood in the hearing room with her daughters, said she wanted accountability. “When I stood up, I was angry,” she said. “I wanted her to understand… I wanted her to look me in the eye.”
Rodney Taylor, 47, has been detained since January 2025 despite having been pardoned in 2010 for a teenage burglary conviction, according to his attorney. A green-card applicant with significant health challenges, including prosthetic legs that reportedly malfunction in detention, his condition has worsened over time. His legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition while also appealing an earlier deportation order.
The case has become a flashpoint in broader debates around immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, particularly following policies that expanded detention and limited releases on bond. Advocacy groups and lawmakers have raised concerns about oversight, especially for detainees with disabilities.
Danis-Taylor’s activism has grown alongside her husband’s prolonged detention. Once a healthcare worker, she has organized rallies, contacted lawmakers, and traveled frequently to the facility to support him. “I have a fire inside me,” she said, describing her shift into full-time advocacy.
According to Danis-Taylor, her husband initially withheld details about the conditions he was facing. “Each of us doesn’t want to stress the other one out,” she explained, noting that he only later revealed the extent of the environment he was enduring.
In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement denied allegations of substandard conditions, stating that claims about Stewart are “false” and describing Taylor as “uncooperative,” though the agency did not provide supporting evidence.
While Noem reportedly agreed to review Rodney Taylor’s case following the hearing, no immediate resolution has been announced; Noem was fired shortly after the at-times contentious Capitol Hill hearings. His detention continues as his legal proceedings move forward, leaving his family still waiting for a decision that could determine whether he remains in the U.S. or faces deportation.