Immigrant Mothers Are Being Detained By ICE, Despite Federal Protections

Advocates like Zain Lakhani, director of migrant rights and justice at the nonprofit Women’s Refugee Commission, describe the current state of immigration detention as a black box.

Until recently, organizations like Lakhani’s were allowed inside detention centers to interview detainees and conduct trainings. That access has since been revoked, she said, impairing their ability to assess conditions and treatment of detainees, including pregnant and postpartum women.

“When people disappear into those facilities, we don’t actually know where they are,” Lakhani said, “or what is happening to them.”