ICE Keeps Detaining Pregnant Immigrants - But We Don't Know How Many

"Cary López Alvarado, of Hawthorne, California, was nine months pregnant when she was arrested by immigration officials alongside her husband, an immigrant from Guatemala. Alvarado was held overnight but was never sent to a detention facility: After taking her into custody, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned she was a U.S. citizen. Immediately after her release, she began to experience sharp pains in her stomach, according to a claim she filed against the federal government. She gave birth a few days later."

"Angie Rodriguez, an immigrant from Colombia, was taken into ICE custody following a routine check-in with immigration officials in July, and soon after found out she was pregnant. At the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center where she was held, Rodriguez could hardly bring herself to eat the small meals that the detention facility served because of how they looked and smelled, and her only other option was buying processed food like instant noodles and chips."

"Antonia Aguilar Maldonano, a mother of two from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE on her way to work and detained at the Kandiyohi County Jail in Minnesota for almost a month. Her youngest child is 22 months old and still nursing; he has acid reflux and an allergy to other forms of milk. The jail was not equipped to house someone who was nursing, said Gloria Contreras Edin, her lawyer:"

Cary López Alvarado, nine months pregnant, was arrested with her husband, held overnight, then released after ICE learned she was a U.S. citizen; she experienced sharp stomach pains and gave birth days later. Angie Rodriguez was detained after a routine check-in, discovered she was pregnant while in custody, struggled to eat the facility meals and relied on processed foods, and subsequently miscarried. Antonia Aguilar Maldonano was detained for almost a month while nursing a 22-month-old with reflux and milk allergies; the jail lacked appropriate nursing equipment, forcing hand-expression until a pump was obtained. Lawyers later won bond for Aguilar Maldonano while deportation proceedings continue.

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