Rodney Taylor, a hairdresser near Atlanta, originally from Liberia, embodies a rare victory against the American administrative machine. He regained his freedom after 15 months of detention at an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) center, a highly controversial US immigration police.
Arriving in the United States at the age of 2 for medical reasons, this man has been double amputated since he was 10. He was arrested in January 2025 based on an old conviction, for which he had been pardoned.
His case sparked nationwide outrage and became a symbol of the struggles for migrant rights. He is one of the very few detainees to have been released on bail thanks to a significant citizen mobilization. When we meet him, he is a tired man, still incredulous after 473 days of detention, enduring mold, faulty sanitation, unbearable heat, struggling to charge his prosthetics, and lacking a seat to shower.
“Des gens souffrent et meurent” (“People suffer and die”) he says, having witnessed over 2,000 expulsions. His wife, Mildred, stands proud, having led the movement for his release, even though she lost her job due to activism, facing monthly housing threats.
Mildred talks about depression and her children’s questions like “Why did you abandon daddy?” She persevered “for all the other detainees as well,” finding strength in helping others. Rodney Taylor still faces the threat of deportation but remains hopeful, sending a message to other detainees: “Your turn, your day will come.”
