This story was initially reported by Shefali Luthra of The nineteenth. Meet Shefali and browse extra of their reporting on gender, politics and coverage.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained and deported a whole bunch of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants for the reason that begin of the Trump administration, the Division of Homeland Safety confirmed for the primary time Wednesday. Federal coverage says that such people ought to solely be detained in restricted circumstances.

Between January 1, 2025, and February 16, 2026, 363 pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants have been deported, DHS reported in response to questions submitted final fall by Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat. Sixteen miscarriages have been recorded throughout that point interval. In whole, 498 pregnant, postpartum and nursing folks have been reported as “booked out” of ICE detention in that timespan, that means that they have been detained after which left ICE amenities. 

As of February 16, 121 individuals who have been actively detained have been pregnant, postpartum or nursing, in response to DHS. Of these, 9 have been of their third trimester of being pregnant. 

These numbers are probably the most detailed glimpse the Trump administration has offered into how its sweeping immigration crackdown has affected pregnant, postpartum and nursing folks specifically. Courting again to a minimum of fall 2019, DHS reported this info twice a yr to Congress. These reviews stopped in 2025.

Earlier reviews present that ICE reportedly booked 347 pregnant, postpartum or nursing folks in 2023 and 375 in 2022; most of these folks have been launched or paroled, not deported. 

Detention amenities have come below scrutiny from legal professionals, medical professionals and immigrant rights activists, who say that many present insufficient well being care — significantly for pregnant, postpartum and nursing folks, who’re at heightened medical danger. 

“We should guarantee all pregnant girls in custody are handled humanely and with respect,” Murray stated in an announcement. “I’ll proceed to combat in opposition to the gross mistreatment of pregnant girls in immigration detention.”

DHS has stated that pregnant folks make up a tiny minority of individuals detained — .18 p.c of all detainees as of February 16 — and that they obtain glorious well being care whereas in ICE amenities. 

“Within the restricted circumstances by which detention is critical and acceptable, ICE screens aliens recognized to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing detained in ICE custody for normal well being and well-being, together with common custody and medical reevaluation, to make sure acceptable pre- and/or post-natal and different medical and psychological well being care,” the DHS report says.

A number of nursing girls have informed The nineteenth that they weren’t offered breastpumps when detained. One, Nayra Guzmán, stated she was not given a mattress to sleep on at the same time as she recovered from a Cesarean part.  Pregnant girls and their attorneys have stated they obtained restricted prenatal care whereas in detention — which is important for monitoring problems and treating them early — and even follow-up for problems. One, Amanda Isabel Fanego Cardoso, stated she was identified with preeclampsia and gestational diabetes after being launched. One other, Cecil Elvir-Quinonez, stated that although she started bleeding whereas in detention, she was not taken to see a health care provider. 

Already, DHS has drawn scrutiny concerning the well being care detained folks obtain. ICE reported 31 detainee deaths final yr — greater than over all the Biden administration, and the best quantity in additional than 20 years. To date this yr, a minimum of 11 detainees have died. None of those folks have been pregnant, postpartum or nursing.

Most individuals died after experiencing medical problems, together with one man whose household attributed his loss of life to an an infection he contracted after growing an untreated toothache.

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