Kelly Ocampo says her pregnant sister has been held in immigration detention for weeks after the family paid $3,000 to a lawyer who they later learned was running a scam. Kelly said she believed the payment would secure her sister's release from custody, but the lawyer's promises turned out to be fraudulent.
Ambar Aguilar Gómez, a 27-year-old Venezuelan woman who is six months pregnant, was detained by Border Patrol on August 11 while riding as a passenger in her cousin's car near the Tohono O'odham reservation south of Tucson, Arizona, after agents found the vehicle lacked insurance. She remains in Border Patrol custody in Tucson, and it is unclear whether she will be transferred to an ICE detention facility. Her husband, Mevin Josué Guerra, said the couple, parents of two children with a third on the way, entered the U.S. from Venezuela in 2019 and applied for asylum. Guerra is recovering from a June car accident that left him in a 10-day coma with a tracheotomy and brain injuries, and told N+ Univisión, "She is my lifeline. We have no other family here." An immigration lawyer said her pregnancy and her husband's medical condition could be considered as evidence in the case, though the decision rests with a judge.
A 14-year-old girl from Guatemala was detained by ICE and deported while pregnant. She is now in a rural area of Guatemala preparing to give birth to a baby boy with a due date of August 15th. The mother and her 14-year-old boyfriend, a U.S. resident, had planned to raise their child together in the United States, but her deportation has separated the young family. The family is seeking legal assistance to establish the baby's citizenship, determine the mother's immigration options, and reunite all three in the U.S.
Daniela lost her three-month pregnancy while in immigration detention custody. She was transferred between detention facilities across multiple U.S. states over nearly four months and reports she did not receive appropriate medical treatment for her pregnancy while detained.
Nqobile Malangeni, a pregnant South African woman who lives in Connecticut with her fiancé, a U.S. Army veteran, was arrested by ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas as she prepared to board a JetBlue flight home. She had traveled to Las Vegas for a vacation to celebrate her birthday. In footage of the arrest shared across U.S. media, agents told her they had a final order of removal against her for overstaying her authorized period of stay. Her fiancé told reporters they followed all proper procedures and never received a removal letter in the mail, describing the arrest as completely unexpected. She is being held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.
Laura Rojas Ortiz, a 21-year-old mother, was detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for more than 40 days while five months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. She was detained during a routine ICE check-in in Dallas while in the process of applying for a U visa after being shot at in her neighborhood, despite regularly appearing for check-ins while wearing an ankle monitor. During her detention, Rojas Ortiz did not receive an ultrasound, specialist care, or blood tests despite her high-risk pregnancy status. Her mother, Paola, reported that her infant son, who has a lactose intolerance, was given whole milk at the facility. According to family accounts, facility staff moved her to a medical room during a congressional visit, then removed her when lawmakers left. Advocacy groups including Each Step Home provided commissary support to help her purchase food for her children.
A pregnant woman was arrested by ICE at Harry Reid International Airport in late July after returning to the United States from a vacation in Las Vegas. She was detained on immigration charges related to allegedly overstaying her visa. Her fiancé expressed concern about whether he will be able to meet his child.
Mariana, a Mexican national, entered an immigration office in Fresno believing she had an appointment to advance her legalization process, but ICE agents arrested her there. She was transferred to California City Detention Center, where she spent a month before being released. She reported extremely cold cell temperatures, inadequate medical care for gastrointestinal problems, poor food quality, and detainees having to help each other with emergencies because medical staff was unavailable. A pregnant detainee she witnessed was only given water for a nosebleed and panic attack. Mariana says the experience left her with physical and psychological scars and describes the facility as feeling like a jail.
Maria Perez, a Guatemalan woman seeking asylum from domestic violence, was arrested by ICE in Nashville on May 19 without a warrant while preparing to take her two children to a medical appointment. She is the nursing mother of a 10-month-old infant and a 2-year-old son with Down syndrome. Since her arrest, Perez has been held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, nearly 700 miles away from her children, who are now in the care of a neighbor. Her sudden separation from her nursing infant has caused her physical harm, compounded by her diabetes. Perez has no criminal history and has complied with all immigration process requirements since entering the United States in 2022. Her attorneys argue the arrest violated the U.S. Constitution and ICE's own policy against detaining nursing mothers without extraordinary circumstances. Multiple organizations are submitting a formal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security seeking her immediate release, and her children have missed critical medical appointments.
A woman discovered she was pregnant while in ICE detention and subsequently miscarried. After the miscarriage, she was shackled to a hospital bed while officers questioned her. The incident raises serious concerns about medical care and treatment of pregnant detainees in immigration custody.
Diana Ledesma, a DJ known as DJ Reina Azteca in the Stockton music scene, was detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center on December 18, 2025, for nearly four months. She was detained during an immigration check-in while enrolled in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program and had a pending U-Visa and open asylum case. Ledesma alleges she was forced to take a pregnancy test against her will after initially refusing, was confined to a cold holding cell without adequate clothing, and experienced other harsh conditions including allegations of potential infectious disease outbreaks and human-sized cages. She lost access to her DJ music and accounts during detention and was uncertain about recovering her confiscated identification documents from the federal government.
Helena Tobias, 8 months pregnant with two other young sons, was left as the sole caregiver after her husband was recently apprehended and deported by ICE. Unable to work due to lack of childcare, she faces financial hardship covering rent and groceries. A coworker organized a fundraiser to help support the family during this period.
Karina Alvarez San Juan, a Mexican national who has lived in the U.S. since age 12, was arrested during a traffic stop in Florida on May 6, 2026, for an allegedly broken taillight. She is the mother of four U.S. citizen children and was nursing her youngest child, born on January 7, 2026, at the time of her arrest. ICE transferred her to South Louisiana Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, where she remained detained for over three months. Her attorney Michelle Borton reported that conditions at the facility were inadequate, with detainees lacking sufficient clean water for basic hygiene including bathing and flushing toilets. San Juan alleged due process violations, including a cancelled bond hearing and a denied emergency motion without explanation. On July 8-9, 2026, U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph, a Trump appointee, ordered ICE to release her within five business days after finding that the agency violated its own Directive 11032.4, which prohibits detention of postpartum and nursing mothers unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist. ICE officials stated they had no additional evidence to justify her continued detention.
A Venezuelan family of three — father Freddys Padilla Revilla, pregnant mother Edgarianny Gervis, and their 7-year-old daughter — say they have been held at the Dilley Detention Center for over a month after attempting to self-deport to Venezuela. The couple had lived legally in Pecos, Texas for three years, working and maintaining ICE check-ins, and sought to leave voluntarily after discovering Edgarianny was pregnant. They say that at a July 6 ICE check-in appointment, after signing forms waiving their rights and withdrawing their appeal, they were arrested and transferred to Dilley instead of being sent home. The family says Edgarianny has not received proper medical care or an ultrasound, and their daughter has said she 'wants to die' while detained, prompting them to seek help from Sen. Katie Britt.
Lesli Vaca Díaz, a 29-year-old Colombian national nearly seven months pregnant, was struck by a Border Patrol agent near Douglas, Arizona on July 2 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. She was knocked to her knees, pulled up by her jacket, and slammed against a truck while repeatedly stating she was pregnant. She was hospitalized at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson after medical staff determined she was at risk of early labor. Vaca Díaz was held incommunicado and prevented from contacting family or an attorney until July 4, according to her attorney Luis Campos. She is now in ICE custody at Eloy Detention Center.
Fatima Eminzada, a 24-year-old citizen of Azerbaijan, was detained by ICE on April 4, 2026, and transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana. She is pregnant in her first trimester with medical complications including hypothyroidism, possible UTI, and mild anemia. After bond was denied at a redetermination hearing on May 14, 2026, and an immigration judge denied her renewed motion for bond on June 12, 2026, she filed a federal habeas corpus petition on June 25, 2026, represented by attorneys Logan Joseph Duplessis and Giedre Stasiunaite. On July 1, 2026, the court issued a temporary restraining order and ordered ICE respondents to file a medical-status report addressing her current medical conditions, treatment, and access to medical care, with the deadline extended to July 13, 2026.
On June 3-4, 2026, ICE and state law enforcement conducted a coordinated raid at Burnstein Von Seelen Precision Casting in Abbeville County, South Carolina, as part of Operation Ghost Story, a two-year investigation that began in October 2024. The operation detained 48 workers, primarily from Mexico and Guatemala, on immigration violations. None of the 48 detained workers were criminally charged. At least one detainee who was eight months pregnant was released but faces deportation proceedings and must wear an ankle monitor, while others remained in custody.
Maria Alejandra Gomez-Quiroz, a 21-year-old pregnant woman from Colombia, has been held for more than 40 days at the Dilley family immigration detention center in Texas after being arrested by Border Patrol at the border. She and her partner had been fleeing violence from guerrillas in Colombia and planned to apply for asylum. Her sister, Kelly Ocampo, said the family paid more than $3,000 to someone posing as an immigration lawyer who sent a fake letter on ICE letterhead falsely claiming her bond had been approved, but she remained in custody. Her family says she has experienced lower abdominal pain and depression while detained. DHS says she was convicted of illegal entry and remains in custody pending removal proceedings. She is one of at least 500 people detained at Dilley and one of four pregnant women held there, according to lawmakers, and a federal judge in California has ordered a special master and independent monitor to examine time in custody and medical care at the facility.
Wendy Baca Sánchez, a Honduran national five months pregnant, has been hospitalized multiple times since her detention in late June near San Miguel, Arizona by border agents. She is currently in ICE custody at Eloy Detention Center. The nature and reasons for her multiple hospitalizations are described in reports of ICE's continued detention of pregnant women in Arizona.
U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell and Nikki Budzinski visited Ste. Genevieve County jail on May 26-27, 2026, and found ICE detainees in overcrowded conditions, some sleeping on thin trays instead of beds, with insufficient access to clean water, medical care, and legal representation. The facility, which houses over 150 ICE detainees on contract, was found to have gaps between stated conditions and detainee experiences, with particular concerns raised about a pregnant detainee's lack of prenatal care and vitamins. Both representatives committed to following up with jail staff and detained constituents to ensure improved conditions and fulfillment of commitments made during the visit.
Senator Andy Kim visited Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, to mediate between protesters and detainees conducting a hunger strike. ICE agents fired tear gas at Kim and demonstrators while the senator stood between them with his arms raised. Kim reported witnessing detained individuals, including an 18-year-old high school student and a woman who had suffered a miscarriage, under poor conditions. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill was denied entry but heard complaints from family members about spoiled food and lack of medical care.
A pregnant constituent from Illinois' 13th Congressional District was detained by ICE at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center in Missouri and required two hospital visits for pregnancy-related emergencies while in custody. During a congressional tour on May 26, 2026, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and Rep. Wesley Bell observed conditions at the facility, where detainees reported serious access issues including insufficient drinking water (forcing some to drink from showers), inadequate medical care, and limited access to notaries and legal representation. The facility, which operates under a federal contract allowing ICE to hold up to 400 detainees, housed detainees in overcrowded cells with up to 48 people per room using inflatable mats or thin pads on trays for bedding. While facility operators claimed basic needs were being met, detainees—many from across Missouri and southern Illinois—reported being detained unexpectedly during their asylum process after initially being assured they would not be held.
Anabella Gyasi, 38, a pregnant Ghanaian woman, and her 4-year-old son who has a physical abnormality affecting his hands arrived at Dulles International Airport on valid tourist visas to seek medical care for her son at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio. At customs, she disclosed a fear of returning to Ghana because of persecution she faced for her son's disability. CBP officers took them into custody as asylum seekers after she stated under oath that she did not intend to return to Ghana, which led officials to nullify her tourist visa. Gyasi, who was about four months pregnant, was held in a windowless room at the airport with her son for more than a week without adequate food or medical care. She was twice transported to a hospital for treatment. DHS denied her care was inadequate. The ACLU of Virginia filed an emergency petition, and Judge Leonie Brinkema called the detention a "terrible situation," saying Gyasi should not spend another night at the airport. A Justice Department attorney said immigration authorities were prepared to deport Gyasi and her son back to Ghana that night. CBP had interviewed her and judged she did not have a "credible fear" of returning. The judge ordered the government to confirm her departure and ruled the petition moot. Gyasi and her son were deported to Ghana.
Maria Pérez, a Guatemalan asylum-seeker and nursing mother, was arrested by ICE at her Nashville home on May 19, 2026, while preparing to take her two young children to a doctor's appointment. She fled extreme domestic violence in Guatemala and had cleared a credible fear interview after entering the U.S. in 2022. At the time of her arrest, she was breastfeeding a 10-month-old infant and caring for a 2-year-old daughter with Down syndrome who requires weekly medical therapy. She has no criminal history. Her children have been cared for by a neighbor since her detention, and she is now held nearly 700 miles away in a Louisiana detention facility. Advocacy groups including Sanctuary of the South, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, the ACLU of Louisiana, Amnesty International, and the Kennedy Human Rights Center filed a civil rights complaint alleging that her detention violates ICE policy prohibiting detention of nursing mothers except in exceptional circumstances such as national security risks.
Darisbell Paola Quintero Morillo, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a pending case, was detained by ICE on April 23, 2026, while attending a scheduled check-in appointment at the Dallas ICE Field Office despite her compliance with immigration requirements. She had entered the U.S. in April 2021 with her husband Gilbert Vicent, both fleeing political persecution in Venezuela. She was transferred to Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, where she discovered she was pregnant during medical evaluation. While in custody, she reported inadequate nutrition, poor food quality, and insufficient medical care, and requested medical attention multiple times due to pregnancy complications. Her attorney filed a federal court petition and emergency motion seeking her release on parole, citing her compliance history and lack of criminal record, but the judge denied the emergency motion. She subsequently miscarried while detained. After learning of the miscarriage from her doctor at the hospital, ICE officers cuffed her ankles to the hospital bed.
Maria Lidia Valle-Hernandez, a 28-year-old from Mexico, was removed from the United States on May 11, 2026, after attempting to fraudulently transfer her newborn baby to another undocumented immigrant to pay a debt to smugglers. She registered under a false name at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lake Saint Louis before giving birth in January 2024 and gave her hospital identification wristband to another woman to falsely claim the infant. Valle-Hernandez had been caught illegally entering the U.S. five times in August 2022 and was arrested for domestic assault in April 2026, which led to an ICE detainer. The newborn was taken into protective custody by Missouri Children's Division.
Ana Delgado, a Venezuelan woman with Temporary Protected Status and an active family-based immigration petition filed by her U.S. citizen husband, was detained by ICE on April 29, 2026, after an agent posing as an ISAP case manager deceived her into stepping outside her home in Texas. Nine ICE officers surrounded her and took her into custody, separating her from her 4-year-old child and 1-year-old daughter whom she was breastfeeding. While postpartum and nursing, Ana was held at Karnes detention center in Texas before being transferred to Eloy detention center in Arizona. She developed severe mastitis as a result of separation from her nursing infant and was denied requests to breastfeed during visitation and denied access to a breast pump. Ana has no criminal record and was in the process of adjusting status through her husband's sponsorship. ICE indicated she may be deported by Mother's Day. Ana Delgado, a TPS holder and stay-at-home mother who had lived in the U.S. for 7 years, was detained during a routine at-home check-in at her residence in San Antonio, Texas on April 29th. She was subsequently deported, separating her from her two young children, Hannah (12 months old) and Isaiah (4 years old). Delgado had been in the process of renewing her TPS and applying for adjustment of status after marrying a U.S. citizen.
A woman named Alicia experienced a miscarriage while detained by ICE. Medical staff performed invasive procedures and administered medication without her consent or clear explanation of her condition. After being informed of the miscarriage, she was immediately returned to detention despite severe abdominal pain and continuous vaginal bleeding. ICE denied her repeated requests for follow-up medical care for over two months. She was only diagnosed and treated for a resulting serious infection after her deportation.
Cecilia, a 29-year-old pregnant Venezuelan asylum seeker, voluntarily surrendered to ICE with her three sons (ages 6, 9, and 12) on May 5, 2026, at the Centennial field office in Colorado. The family had walked to the U.S. in 2024 seeking stability, but lost their apartment and income after Cecilia's husband Ronald was arrested at an ICE appointment in November 2025. Facing homelessness and unable to support her children as her pregnancy became visible, Cecilia chose assisted voluntary departure. The family arrived in Caracas, Venezuela on May 13, 2026.
Anna Catherine Delgado, a Venezuelan woman living in San Antonio, was detained by ICE agents on April 29, 2026, outside her residence. She was holding her 4-year-old son Isaiah when approximately eight armed agents in vests surrounded her and took her without explanation. Her husband José Rosales arrived carrying their 1-year-old daughter Hannah. Delgado and Rosales had filed for political asylum, which was denied, but she had continued attending immigration verification appointments without issue since 2020. Hannah was still breastfeeding at the time and has refused formula since her mother was taken. Delgado was transferred to Arizona and told she would be deported to Venezuela. Rosales had formally requested permission for his wife to remain in the country to begin the legal residency process, but the request had not received a response.
Nallely Valles Santos's husband has been held in ICE custody since April 14 despite having no criminal record and being in the process of lawfully obtaining residency. Nallely is 35 weeks pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy complicated by low placenta, is a single parent to two daughters including a 3-year-old with severe autism who requires constant therapies and medical appointments, and has no family support network in El Paso. Since her husband's detention, she has struggled alone to pay rent, utilities, food, transportation, pregnancy-related expenses, her daughter's special needs care, and legal fees while not currently working and relying on savings.
A pregnant Venezuelan woman was arrested by ICE while traveling to a medical center in Seattle. Her 10-month-old baby was also taken into ICE custody during the operation. According to local police, the arrest was executed by the Department of Homeland Security based on a criminal court order allegedly related to human trafficking allegations, not immigration violations.
Juan Chavez Velasco, a 35-year-old DACA recipient who arrived in the U.S. from Colombia at age 8, was detained by ICE agents on February 18, 2026, while driving to deliver breast milk to his premature daughter in a hospital NICU in Weslaco, Texas. Chavez Velasco holds two bachelor's degrees and works as a medical laboratory scientist with no criminal history. He is married to Stephanie Villarreal, a U.S. citizen, and has three U.S. citizen children. His DACA renewal application, submitted in November 2025, remained unanswered and his status expired on March 10, 2026, while he was in custody. DHS cited a 2005 removal order issued before his DACA approval in 2012, arguing that DACA does not confer legal status. He is detained at Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas.
According to reporting from SA Current, a pregnant woman named Juana was ordered deported by ICE when she was near her due date. Medical professionals and airlines told ICE she was too pregnant to safely fly, but ICE continued seeking officials willing to authorize her travel anyway. The case highlights failures in ICE's own policies protecting pregnant detainees.
Elmer Flores, a 27-year-old from Honduras, was detained by ICE agents on March 9, 2026, outside the Mecklenburg County Health Department while dropping off his pregnant wife for a medical appointment. Flores has lived in the U.S. for over three years and has no criminal record. His wife is five months pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy, and the family includes two other children. ICE is holding Flores at a detention facility in Georgia while his family remains in North Carolina. Community organizations have responded by alerting the public about safety concerns at public service locations.
Neysis was detained by ICE while six months pregnant with twins. When she began experiencing painful contractions, she was shackled to a hospital bed instead of receiving compassionate medical care. The incident has prompted calls for Congressional investigation into detention facility conditions.
A pregnant woman identified as Marie was detained at an ICE facility and told officials of her pregnancy, but was placed in solitary confinement for days and denied medical care despite repeated requests. She was denied translation services at a medical center and was not informed about medical procedures performed. While detained, she witnessed another woman miscarry and deliver a stillborn baby alone in a facility bathroom.
Heidy Sánchez, a 44-year-old Cuban immigrant and home health aide who arrived in the U.S. in 2019, was detained by ICE on April 22, 2025, during what she believed was a routine annual check-in appointment at the Tampa office while nursing her one-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen born prematurely with seizures. She was handcuffed and separated from her daughter as her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, a U.S. citizen who owns a landscaping company, heard her screaming. Two days later, on April 24, Sánchez was deported to Cuba on a flight with 81 other Cuban migrants. Sánchez had no criminal record, worked as a home health aide, held a social security card and driver's license, paid taxes, and was complying with ICE requirements under her I-220B supervision order. Her daughter, distressed by the separation, refused to eat. From Cuba, Sánchez has recorded tearful video pleas to President Trump and walks up to ten times daily searching for internet to video call her daughter. U.S. Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Kathy Castor have called for her reunification, with Castor filing a humanitarian parole request with the Trump administration. DHS disputed Sánchez's account, claiming she was offered the choice to take her child or place the child with a designated relative. Sánchez arrived in Cuba without passport, identification, or documentation explaining her deportation.
Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant detained at Campbell County Detention facility, experienced vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain — symptoms of a possible miscarriage — while in ICE custody. She submitted a detainee request for medical help on March 22, 2026, but has received limited medical care and cannot access her own medical records to understand what happened to her pregnancy or what care she received. Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois and other lawmakers are pushing for her release and have been unable to obtain her medical records despite repeated requests, though detainees are legally entitled to access their medical records under federal policy.
Anabell, a Nicaraguan immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2022 and was working in food service in Milwaukee, tested positive for pregnancy twice after being detained at Campbell County Detention Center in Kentucky. In late March, after experiencing vaginal bleeding, severe pain, and cramping, she pleaded for emergency medical help in a written request. She was taken to a nearby hospital where staff told her she was not pregnant despite her positive tests, leaving her uncertain about what occurred. According to her attorney and her own account to lawmakers, Anabell received no prenatal care or vitamins during detention, was not seen by a doctor within 72 hours of her positive pregnancy test as federal policy requires, and was tasked with carrying heavy items despite her condition. Since the hospital visit, she has experienced ongoing pain, numbness, vomiting, and hair loss but has not received follow-up medical care. Her attorney and two Democratic lawmakers have been unable to obtain her medical records despite multiple requests, leaving Anabell and her legal team unable to determine what medical care she received or what happened to her pregnancy. Anabell is pursuing an asylum claim in the United States.
Valeria Mendoza Santiago, a 25-year-old pregnant woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, was arrested by ICE agents at a bus stop in Anchorage on March 20, 2026, and transferred to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. She was scheduled for transfer to federal detention in Tacoma, Washington, but her lawyers obtained a temporary restraining order citing ICE's own guidelines against detaining pregnant women, resulting in her release. Santiago remains in federal immigration removal proceedings and lives at home with her son.
Misslenys Hernandez Zabala, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while on her way to work in Nashville. She is nursing her 10-month-old son, Maximiliano, who is a U.S. citizen, and also cares for a 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old niece. Her partner said ICE agents asked her in Spanish where the baby was as she screamed about her son during the detention. The family came to the U.S. in 2021 seeking asylum and has attended all required court dates, with their next hearing scheduled for 2028. Advocates brought the baby to DHS offices requesting her release, but ICE refused, stating that breastfeeding is not grounds for release.
Juana Felipe Mateo, a Guatemalan mother of two, was deported from the South Texas Family Residential Center (Dilley) while 8 months pregnant with a third child after three months in detention. She alleges ICE and DHS deceived her into signing voluntary departure papers by offering $15,000 (which she says she never received) and obtaining a doctor's authorization to fly despite her advanced pregnancy. Juana reported that pregnant detainees, including herself, were hidden from U.S. Congressman Joaquín Castro during a facility inspection to prevent them from reporting lack of medical care and alleged mistreatment. She also described being placed in a cold room known as 'la hielera' for five days when her 2-year-old daughter developed fever. She learned of her unborn son's sex only on the day of her deportation.
Amanda Isabel Cardoso, a 22-year-old Cuban immigrant living in Tampa who was awaiting a green card, was arrested in Orlando in August 2024 while pregnant and subsequently detained by ICE for nearly three months at Otero County Processing Center in rural New Mexico. During her detention, Cardoso received minimal prenatal care despite being in her first pregnancy—the facility lacked ultrasound machines and she was denied access to her medical records. After her release in February 2025 following legal intervention by immigration attorney Sam Badawi, Cardoso was diagnosed with preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, conditions medical experts say can be triggered by stress. Cardoso, who fled Cuba after her grandmother was killed in an act of political violence, now faces ongoing uncertainty about her immigration status and potential separation from her baby if detained again.
Nayra Guzmán, an immigrant from Mexico, was arrested by ICE agents in Cicero, Illinois, 15 days after undergoing a cesarean section. She was on her way to visit her newborn daughter, who remained in the NICU with complications from preeclampsia and unable to eat or breathe independently. Despite having a pending asylum application and work permits, Guzmán was detained for 34 hours in a facility intended for short stays. During her detention, she was denied basic postpartum care, including a breast pump and medical assessment for her Type 1 diabetes, and spent her first night without adequate bedding. Guzmán was arrested alongside her mother and brother. Her lawyers successfully petitioned for her release, citing concerns for both her and her daughter's health. The family was released on conditional bail.
Lucia, a pregnant woman detained by ICE after appearing for a regular check-in appointment, began experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding in the middle of the night when she was two months pregnant. She requested immediate medical attention but was not taken to see medical staff for several hours. Instead, medical staff left her alone in a small room without food, water, or pain medication while she bled heavily. After significant blood loss, she was transported to an emergency room with her arms and legs shackled while actively miscarrying. She required a blood transfusion due to the miscarriage. She was returned to ICE custody and continued experiencing abdominal pain and heavy bleeding for another month before being deported.
Julieta, who held a valid visa, was detained for two months at Basile detention center. She was shackled at the ankles, hands, and waist during cross-country transport and feared that poor nutrition and the stress of detention could endanger her pregnancy.
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