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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Pregnancy Care Under Scrutiny as Miscarriage Records Disappear
By Drooid · · How we work
Reported Cases and Facility Conditions
The Guardian’s recent investigation highlighted three pregnant detainees in ICE custody. Anabell, a 35-year-old Nicaraguan asylum seeker, attended a mandatory ICE check-in on February 25 and was informed she could not leave. A medical evaluation then revealed she was pregnant. After a month of detention she began bleeding, was eventually taken to an emergency room, and was told—through an interpreter—that she had miscarried. She continues to experience bleeding, vomiting, hair loss, weight loss and rashes, with no follow-up care reported. A second detainee, 26-year-old Angie, also discovered her pregnancy while detained in California and miscarried weeks later. Laura, a 21-year-old mother with a history of miscarriages, is currently in her third trimester at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas and says a physician recommended a specialist that the facility has not scheduled.
Data Gaps and Official Responses
The Guardian noted that ICE recorded 18 miscarriages during the first nine months of the second Trump administration, but the agency’s miscarriage tracking ends on October 3 2025. The spokesperson also cited ICE Directive 11032.4, in effect since July 2021, which limits detention of pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals to cases involving national-security concerns or an imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm.
Advocacy Criticism
Sarah Decker, senior attorney at the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, told the Guardian that ICE is likely aware of the number of pregnant detainees and that the agency’s lack of transparent data appears intended to conceal “life-threatening medical neglect.” Futurism’s coverage described the conditions as “horrifying” and emphasized the difficulty of obtaining prenatal care within detention facilities.
Scale of Detention
Forbes reported that between January 2025 and February 2026, 498 pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals were booked and later released from ICE custody, compared with 158 in the first half of fiscal year 2024.
Ongoing Concerns
The combination of personal testimonies, incomplete miscarriage records, and advocacy warnings raises questions about ICE’s compliance with Directive 11032.4 and the adequacy of medical oversight for pregnant detainees. Transparency and accountability remain central demands from health-rights groups and lawmakers.