ICE Keeps Detaining Pregnant Immigrants—Against Federal Policy

Pregnant and nursing women are being detained by ICE despite the known risks. New reporting from The 19th News spotlights the stories of women who were detained while pregnant or nursing, in violation of DHS’ own guidance.

Zain Lakhani, a lawyer and director of migrant rights and justice for WRC, told The 19th that credible reports of pregnant people being detained suggest a frequency higher than ICE’s policy would suggest.

“It would be shocking that we would be able to have this level of detained pregnant people under the guidance,” she said. “We are seeing just this shocking number of detained postpartum and pregnant women.”

The Women’s Refugee Commission is seeking records from Homeland Security pertaining to pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals who have been detained. It recently launched its own independent tracker, encouraging health providers, lawyers and family members to submit information about pregnant people who have been detained. The commission said it’s too early to provide an accurate count from its tracker.