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Pregnant women have reported bleeding, miscarriages, being shackled and other instances of medical neglect while in US immigration custody, according to a group of prominent civil rights organizations.
The groups – which include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its Louisiana chapter, the National Immigration Project, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Sanctuary of the South and Sanctuary Now Abolition Project – sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Senate committees on Wednesday, describing interviews with more than a dozen women.
“ICE has issued detainers, arrested, and taken pregnant individuals into custody, even after they have informed officers of their pregnancy, in violation of agency guidance,” the letter said.
It noted in particular that ICE had “detained several cases of pregnant individuals arising from domestic disputes. This practice endangers survivors of domestic violence, particularly pregnant individuals, who are more vulnerable to abuse and violence.”
Some of the pregnant women reported being shackled and held in other restraints during transport; detention in solitary confinement; delayed and substandard prenatal care; denial of prenatal vitamins; inadequate food; lack of interpretation and translation in medical encounters; medical care without informed consent; and medical neglect leading to dangerous infection after miscarriage, the letter said.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter specifically detailed the experience of six women held in two detention centers in Basile, Louisiana, and Lumpkin, Georgia.
One woman, identified as “Alicia”, described being separated from her two children and detained by ICE in April at Basile, where she learned she was pregnant. While in detention, Alicia “received minimal portions of substandard food that left her feeling hungry and malnourished”, then began experiencing severe abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, cramping and bleeding.
She was taken to local emergency room, where she said facility officials and medical personnel failed to explain their medical treatment and performed an invasive test of her uterus without consent, causing her “excruciating pain”. She said she was injected with a medication she was not informed about, then told she had miscarried.
Back at the detention facility, officials said she would be deported back to her country of origin. However, ICE held Alicia in custody for another two months, during which she experienced more severe medical distress, including bleeding, swelling, severe uterine pain and fever. She was eventually deported in July.
Another woman, identified as Lucia, was detained by ICE in Georgia shortly after attending her scheduled immigration check-in appointment. When she began to experience typical pregnancy symptoms, including vomiting and abdominal pain, she made multiple requests to see a doctor, but was not given an appointment for several weeks, at which time medical personnel said she was approximately two months pregnant, the letter said.
Two weeks later, Lucia started to experience heavy vaginal bleeding and cramping in the middle of the night. Medical personnel put her in a small room and “left her bleeding alone without informing her of what was happening”, the letter said. “Much later that evening, after a significant loss of blood, Lucia was transported to an emergency room approximately an hour away, with her arms and legs shackled.” There, she was told she had suffered a miscarriage, and a month later experienced abdominal pain and heavy bleeding.
One detained woman, identified as Marie, said officials did not believe her when she informed them of her pregnancy, and held her in solitary confinement for at least three days. Marie also reported being denied prenatal vitamins, with one nurse telling her: “You won’t die if you don’t take them and they will not be available for a week.” On another occasion, Marie reported being given a shot without her consent, and was not given interpretation services to clarify what medication she was being given.
According to the letter, Marie also witnessed a fellow detainee miscarry in the bathroom of their housing unit.
Advocates urged ICE to immediately conduct a review to identify and release all pregnant detainees in ICE custody, provide a clear and efficient method for pregnant individuals to request and be granted timely release from custody, ensure the provision of timely and adequate medical care, and close detention facilities with documented and sustained violations of detention standards.
