Advocates Warn of Dire Conditions for Pregnant Women in ICE Custody: 'Detention Is Inherently Dangerous'

Pregnant detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody are facing inadequate medical care, poor nutrition, and diminished oversight despite federal guidance to avoid detaining them, according to an investigation by The Intercept.

The outlet details the case of "Daniela," a Venezuelan asylum seeker held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, who said she went roughly two months without a prenatal visit with an OB-GYN while experiencing abdominal pain and a COVID infection.

After The Intercept sought comment from DHS and private prison operator GEO Group about her case, she was released and reunited with her two-year-old daughter.

Advocates say Daniela's experience reflects a broader trend since President Donald Trump returned to office. "This is the first time I've seen so many pregnant people in [ICE] detention," said Tania Wolf of the National Immigration Project to the outlet. The ACLU's Eunice Cho echoed the sentiment:

"There are cases of people who clearly meet the criteria not to be detained, and that ICE has gone ahead and detained anyway"

The Women's Refugee Commission reported "a significant increase" in pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women in detention. The Intercept notes the administration has stopped publishing semiannual reports on pregnant detainees and has scaled back civil rights and detention-oversight offices, limiting transparency.

ICE's contractors disputed the allegations, with GEO Group telling The Interceptits facilities provide "high-quality" DHS-standard medical care with independent accreditation. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin called reports of mistreatment "false," stating:

"Detention of pregnant women is rare and has elevated oversight and review. No pregnant woman has been forced to sleep on the floor. Meals are certified by dieticians, and they are given their prenatal vitamins. These smears about ICE mistreating and denying women medical care are contributing to our ICE officers facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them"

Congressional inquiries over the last few months have raised similar concerns. In August, Sen. Jon Ossoff announced a Senate investigation identifying 510 credible abuse allegations in immigration detention, including 14 involving pregnant women, citing delays in urgent care, women sleeping on floors, and one case where a woman "was left alone in a hospital room to miscarry" for over 24 hours after a delayed response. "Detention is inherently dangerous and damaging for children and pregnant women," Ossoff said back in August regarding the findings.

Further back, a May Senate Judiciary Committee staff report from visits to Louisiana facilities described multiple pregnant women who had not seen a doctor for months and alleged a miscarriage in custody, alongside broader findings of inadequate treatment for serious medical conditions and reduced access to legal orientation.