ICE's Detention of Pregnant People Continues a Disgraceful American Tradition

"In correspondence with, Elvir-Quinonez wrote that she had received no medical attention despite experiencing persistent bleeding and cramping, and being forced to skip meals due to the unhygienic conditions of the facility."

"According to the ACLU, three pregnant women reported ICE agents using restraints, such as shackling, even as the women were having a miscarriage; one pregnant woman said she had been held in solitary confinement for days; two women reported medical interventions without informed consent or appropriate translation services."

"Almost all women interviewed talked about inadequate or denial of prenatal care, medical neglect from health professionals, and limited nutrition and medications, including prenatal vitamins."

Migrant women and pregnant individuals held in privately operated ICE detention centers experience severe mistreatment and medical neglect. Cecil Elvir-Quinonez's case exemplifies this crisis: arrested during a traffic stop, she was transferred to a Louisiana detention facility while pregnant, experiencing bleeding and cramping without medical attention. Investigations by Senator Jon Ossoff's office documented 41 allegations of physical or sexual abuse and 32 reports of mistreatment of children and pregnant women. The ACLU found pregnant detainees shackled during miscarriages, held in solitary confinement, subjected to medical procedures without consent, and denied prenatal care, proper nutrition, and necessary medications. These conditions reflect systemic state-sanctioned violence targeting vulnerable migrant populations.

Read at The Nation