Full Breakdown
Allegations of Mistreatment of Pregnant Detainees in ICE Custody
5/12/2026, 9:08:53 PM
Allegations of Mistreatment in ICE Custody
In May 2026, Senators Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, and Jon Ossoff wrote to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and to private contractors at the Camp East Montana ICE facility in El Paso, Texas, alleging abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, miscarriages, shackling of pregnant detainees, and separation of nursing mothers from infants.
Legislative Background and Proposed Reform
The senators cited a Senate investigation from August 2025 that recorded over 500 abuse allegations in immigration detention, 14 involving pregnant women. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove reintroduced the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, which would ban shackling during labor, expand prenatal and postpartum health standards, improve data reporting, and restore a presumption of release for pregnant detainees except in extraordinary cases. The bill expands a 2022 House measure limited to Bureau of Prisons facilities.
Key Figures and Stakeholders
Senators Blumenthal, Hirono, and Ossoff; Rep. Kamlager-Dove; DHS Secretary Mullin; Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin; contractors Acquisition Logistics, LLC and Amentum Services, Inc.; ICE officials at Camp East Montana and an Arizona facility; and the detained pregnant women.
Data on Pregnant Detainees and Reported Outcomes
DHS reports 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing immigrants were deported between Jan 1 2025 and Feb 16 2026, with 16 miscarriages recorded; DHS estimates at least 126 pregnant women remained in detention as of March 2026. The Senate investigation noted over 500 abuse allegations, including 14 involving pregnant detainees. A 2023 study documented more than 700 incarcerated mothers giving birth in U.S. prisons, underscoring custodial prenatal-care gaps.
Official Statements & Responses
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the allegations “false” and said detainees receive medical screenings and emergency care when needed. DHS statements emphasize routine provision of prenatal vitamins and temperature checks.
Criticism & Opposition
The senators described the treatment as “callous indifference” and urged reinstating the presumption of release for pregnant detainees except in extraordinary cases. Human-rights groups and medical professionals warned detention facilities lack capacity for complex maternal health needs, potentially endangering mothers and infants.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The DHS claim of adequate medical screening conflicts with detainee accounts of delayed care, including an incident where a woman with vaginal bleeding received only water, prenatal vitamins, and a temperature check. No physician is reported onsite at Camp East Montana, and federal guidelines on prenatal nutrition are absent, leaving the exact number of pregnant detainees unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Recent reporting reveals the appalling and horrific treatment that pregnant, postpartum, and nursing individuals have endured in immigration detention during this Administration,” — Senators Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, and Jon Ossoff
- “It's unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody,” — Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove
- “When one experienced vaginal bleeding and requested medical care she was reportedly given only water, prenatal vitamins, and a temperature check,” — Senators’ letter
What’s Next
The Pregnant Women in Custody Act is slated for committee review in the upcoming congressional session, and congressional oversight hearings on immigration-detention health standards are expected later in 2026.
