A woman is detained by federal agents after exiting a hearing in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on Sept. 3 in New York City (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images).
WASHINGTON — More than 60 members of the congressional Democratic Women’s Caucus Tuesday sent a letter to the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raising “extreme concerns” about the treatment of pregnant immigrants in detention.
“The health and safety of pregnant women should not be threatened as a result of the administration choosing not to adhere to Federal regulations,” the 61 Democratic lawmakers wrote to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons. “That is why we urge the administration to fully comply with the existing regulations and immediately correct the violations.”
They specifically cited concerns at ICE facilities in Lumpkin, Georgia; Basile, Louisiana; and Broadview, Illinois.
“At the detention centers, it was reported that pregnant women were being shackled, locked in restraints, or placed in solitary confinement,” they wrote, citing American Civil Liberties Union reports. The women have also been deprived of proper prenatal, postpartum, lactation and miscarriage care, they said.
The letter argues that ICE’s own regulations do not require pregnant, postpartum or nursing immigrants to be detained and detainment should only occur if the release is “prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist.”
“By detaining vulnerable women in appalling conditions while pregnant, you are subjecting both the pregnant individual and the unborn child to significant risks and possible death,” according to the letter. “We urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE to follow its own rules and regulations on detention of pregnant women and demand their humane treatment.”
Lawmakers are asking for ICE to immediately release any detained immigrants who are pregnant.
They are also pushing for ICE to answer several questions, including the number of pregnant immigrants in detention; the number of births or still births that took place in detention; the number of medical incidents experienced by pregnant detainees; and how many pregnant immigrants have been shackled by ICE.
Lawmakers asked ICE for a response within 45 days.
ICE officials did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment.
House lawmakers who signed the letter include:
- Robin Kelly of Illinois
- Delia Ramirez of Illinois
- Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California
- Sylvia Garcia of Texas
- Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico
- Joyce Beatty of Ohio
- Jasmine Crockett of Texas
- LaMonica McIver of New Jersey
- Emily Randall of Washington state
- Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida
- Deborah Ross of North Carolina
- Nikema Williams of Georgia
- Julie Johnson of Texas
- Pramila Jayapal of Washington state
- Norma Torres of California
- Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico
- Andrea Salinas of Oregon
- Lois Frankel of Florida
- Lucy McBath of Georgia
- Judy Chu of California
- Kelly Morrison of Minnesota
- Lateefah Simon of California
- Valerie P. Foushee of North Carolina
- Yvette D. Clarke of New York
- Gwen Moore of Wisconsin
- Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey
- Yassamin Ansari of Arizona
- Ro Khanna of California
- Becca Balint of Vermont
- Jahana Hayes of Connecticut
- Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia
- André Carson of Indiana
- Danny K. Davis of Illinois
- Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon
- Veronica Escobar of Texas
- Troy A. Carter of Louisiana
- Laura Friedman of California
- Summer L. Lee of Pennsylvania
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida
- Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
- Mike Quigley of Illinois
- Val T. Hoyle of Oregon
- Janice D. Schakowsky of Illinois
- Glenn Ivey of Maryland
- Jennifer L. McClellan of Virginia
- Terri A. Sewell of Alabama
- Juan Vargas of California
- Jesús G. “Chuy” García of Illinois
- Julia Brownley of California
- Shri Thanedar of Michigan
- Angie Craig of Minnesota
- Nydia M. Velázquez of New York
- Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. of Georgia
- Frederica S. Wilson of Florida
- Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri
- Diana DeGette of Colorado
- Nanette Diaz Barragán of California
- Dina Titus of Nevada
- James P. McGovern of Massachusetts
- Zoe Lofgren of California
- Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania
This post was originally authored and published by Ariana Figueroa from Missouri Independent via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
