Pregnant Immigrants Held For Months In Detention Despite Rules Against It

LA Times: The Women’s Refugee Commission, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit, has been attempting to track the number of pregnant, postpartum and nursing mothers detained by immigration agents and document the conditions they face. Its leaders say they have encountered significant hurdles.

“We really don’t know what is happening inside detention centers,” said Zain Lakhani, the commission’s director of migrant rights and justice.

With the reporting requirements eliminated and access to facilities diminished after the administration ended many legal programs inside the facilities, it is hard to get a true picture. “We used to be able to speak with them and then escalate complaints, either to the office of civil rights and civil liberties or directly, sort of internally to the facility. We are no longer able to do that.”

Since launching the tracker, she said, the group has “received significant reports of pregnant, postpartum, lactating women who are being detained,” though she was not willing to share figures. There’s also evidence that ICE is not following policy to provide adequate housing, medical care and nutrition.