Since 2025, the United States has witnessed an explosive surge in the number of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In just 4 months of Trump’s second term, there was a 17% increase compared to his first term. Since Biden’s presidency, the detention rates have skyrocketed by 46%. This extreme level of mass deportation, a grim reality that has always been part of this administration’s plan, is disproportionately affecting a population of minority women. The most vulnerable of these women are those who are pregnant or have recently given birth.
Under President Biden, ICE was barred from arresting or detaining immigrants who are pregnant, postpartum or nursing. Although Trump has not rescinded this policy, the numerous lawsuits and firsthand accounts from women prove that it is not being followed.
One such case is that of Antonia Aguilar Maldonado, a mother of two from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE and detained for almost a month, despite still nursing her youngest son. The jail was not equipped to house someone who was nursing and did not have a breast pump. Maldonano was forced to use her hands to massage milk out until the facility was able to buy a pump.
Angie Rodriguez, a Colombian immigrant, was also detained after a routine ICE check. While detained, she struggled to eat meals due to the inedible options, and unfortunately, would later miscarry while in custody. Failure to see immigration and mass deportation through a gendered lens continues to silence the lived experiences of women like Maldonano and Rodriguez, and these are only two instances.
A report by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) documented at least 14 cases of pregnant women being mistreated in detention facilities between January 2025 and July 2025. Pregnant detainees were reported to be sleeping on cell floors, denied medical support, and miscarrying alone.
The ACLU reported in a letter directed towards the ICE that, although ICE has the statutory mandate to release those who have been certified as pregnant on parole under 8 C.F.R. § 212.5(b)(2), they have failed to do so since January 2025. Instead, ICE has issued detainers, arrested, and taken pregnant individuals into custody even after being made aware of their conditions, and has taken to detaining many women during reports of domestic abuse. Not only is this illegal under the federal statutes governing ICE, but it also sets an unsafe precedent for women and pregnant people suffering through continued abuse because of fear of being detained and deported.
Yet still, as women and pregnant people continue to be detained at alarming rates, the conditions in which women like López Alvarado and Rodriguez are a grave injustice. It has been reported that women are being shackled while being transported and experiencing miscarriages. They are denied access to medical translators, prenatal vitamins and care, and forced to undergo medical care without consent. They are also experiencing a lack of food and other forms of nutrition.
The administration has continued to fail in protecting the rights of women in this country, regardless of citizenship. Although there are federal statutes intended to govern these injustices, this administration has once again shown a lack of care for the law of the land they swear by. Instead, departments like the Department of Homeland Security claim that these are all just false allegations, and continue to detain and deport as if they are protecting the country.
Pregnant women, while being detained, should not be left to go through psychological experiences with a lack of careful medical intervention. This leaves these women to suffer such serious complications that affect their future health and unborn children, including post-partum depression. Especially, as detentions become more frequent and prolonged, the question is raised:
How many more women must endure these traumas before this administration acknowledges the harm they are causing?
If you have the power today to make a change, take action, and fight back against injustice, seize it. Whether by organizing in your community, supporting advocacy groups, or raising awareness, every effort matters in the fight for equality and human dignity.
