CONTACT: 
Gabby Arias, media@aclu.org 
Jesse Vad, media@laaclu.org   
Emma Gillett, gillett@rfkhumanrights.org   

WASHINGTON — A group of civil and human rights organizations today urged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end the detention of pregnant people immediately and to investigate alarming reports of medical neglect and abuse in ICE facilities in Louisiana and Georgia. 

In a letter sent to ICE leadership, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, National Immigration Project, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Sanctuary of the South, and Sanctuary Now Abolition Project detailed the experiences of six women detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, and the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Several of the women were pregnant or had recently miscarried while in custody. 

“Our interviews indicate that 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,” advocates warned in their joint letter. “Notably, ICE has issued detainers and then 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.” 

Advocates interviewed more than a dozen women, and in their letter, also describe disturbing accounts of shackling and use of restraint during transport, solitary confinement, denial of prenatal vitamins, inadequate food, delayed or substandard medical care, and lack of interpretation during medical visits. One woman experienced a dangerous infection after a miscarriage due to ICE’s medical neglect. 

Along with documenting abuses, the groups also urged ICE to: 

• Identify and release all pregnant, postpartum, and nursing individuals in its custody  
• Comply with its own directive prohibiting the detention of pregnant individuals except in extraordinary circumstances  
• Guarantee timely medical care consistent with community standards of care 
• Investigate failures of informed consent and language access for women seeking gynecological care 

The groups argue that ICE’s practices continue to violate federal regulations and ICE’s own policies, putting pregnant and postpartum individuals at risk. 

“I experienced so much pain and trauma while detained,” said Jenny, a mother who was detained in February 2025 at the Basile detention center while she was pregnant. Jenny is using a pseudonym to protect her privacy. “I am sharing my story for all the other women in detention, as well as the women who were deported. There were even women who lost their pregnancies. I want to make sure everyone knows what we had to go through. There are many women in detention who are facing this experience now and each of them needs help and support from advocates, members of Congress, and the community.” 

A copy of the full letter is available here: https://rfkhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-22-ICE-Detention-Pregnancy-Letter-FINAL-FOR-CIRC44.pdf

A copy of the full letter is available in Spanish here: https://rfkhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-22-ICE-Detention-Pregnancy-Letter-SPANISH-FINAL-FOR-CIRC59.pdf