SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pregnant women will no longer be exempted from immigration detention, according to a new directive issued by acting ICE director Thomas Homan. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
Further 'Exposing Cruelty of Trump,' ICE Ends Policy Limiting Detention of Pregnant Women
New policy aimed at furthering Trump's goal of "increasing the number of people subjected to detention, without any regard to particular health needs or other vulnerabilities including pregnancy."
Mar 29, 2018
Immigration officials will abandon efforts to spare most pregnant women from detention, according to new guidance issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan.
The announcement, made in a memo written by Homan last December but not revealed until Thursday, was condemned by immigrant rights advocates.
\u201cToday, ICE released a policy revoking guidance limiting the detention of pregnant women.\n\nThis policy endangers the lives of pregnant women, subjecting them to harmful and prolonged periods of detention. https://t.co/JHVJjWGih1\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Homan's memo, entitled "Identification and Monitoring of Pregnant Detainees," reverses guidance put forth by former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson during the Obama administration, which stated, "Absent extraordinary circumstances or the requirement of mandatory detention, pregnant women will generally not be detained by ICE."
Some pregnant women were detained under the earlier guidance--about 500 in 2016--but ICE will now err on the side of holding them in detention facilities rather than releasing them, as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to detain more immigrants than previous administrations.
\u201cThe changes in this policy feed directly into the administration\u2019s goals of increasing the number of people subjected to detention, without any regard to particular health needs or other vulnerabilities including pregnancy.\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Only women in their third trimester of pregnancy will still generally be released. Since the new policy went into effect, ICE has detained more than 500 pregnant women, according to the Huffington Post. As of March 20, 35 pregnant women were in immigration detention.
Christina Costantini, a journalist who has reported on immigration detention facilities, posted on social media about ICE's extreme lack of preparation for--and interest in--providing proper care for pregnant women.
Two women told the Huffington Post last year that they had suffered miscarriages while in detention in immigration jails, and said that ICE employees had neglected to give them proper medical care.
"This new policy further exposes the cruelty of Trump's detention and deportation force by endangering the lives of pregnant immigrant women," said Victoria Lopez, senior staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in a statement. "It removes critical protections for this vulnerable population and eliminates key reporting requirements for oversight of a detention system that needs more, not less, transparency and accountability."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Immigration officials will abandon efforts to spare most pregnant women from detention, according to new guidance issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan.
The announcement, made in a memo written by Homan last December but not revealed until Thursday, was condemned by immigrant rights advocates.
\u201cToday, ICE released a policy revoking guidance limiting the detention of pregnant women.\n\nThis policy endangers the lives of pregnant women, subjecting them to harmful and prolonged periods of detention. https://t.co/JHVJjWGih1\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Homan's memo, entitled "Identification and Monitoring of Pregnant Detainees," reverses guidance put forth by former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson during the Obama administration, which stated, "Absent extraordinary circumstances or the requirement of mandatory detention, pregnant women will generally not be detained by ICE."
Some pregnant women were detained under the earlier guidance--about 500 in 2016--but ICE will now err on the side of holding them in detention facilities rather than releasing them, as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to detain more immigrants than previous administrations.
\u201cThe changes in this policy feed directly into the administration\u2019s goals of increasing the number of people subjected to detention, without any regard to particular health needs or other vulnerabilities including pregnancy.\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Only women in their third trimester of pregnancy will still generally be released. Since the new policy went into effect, ICE has detained more than 500 pregnant women, according to the Huffington Post. As of March 20, 35 pregnant women were in immigration detention.
Christina Costantini, a journalist who has reported on immigration detention facilities, posted on social media about ICE's extreme lack of preparation for--and interest in--providing proper care for pregnant women.
Two women told the Huffington Post last year that they had suffered miscarriages while in detention in immigration jails, and said that ICE employees had neglected to give them proper medical care.
"This new policy further exposes the cruelty of Trump's detention and deportation force by endangering the lives of pregnant immigrant women," said Victoria Lopez, senior staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in a statement. "It removes critical protections for this vulnerable population and eliminates key reporting requirements for oversight of a detention system that needs more, not less, transparency and accountability."
Immigration officials will abandon efforts to spare most pregnant women from detention, according to new guidance issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan.
The announcement, made in a memo written by Homan last December but not revealed until Thursday, was condemned by immigrant rights advocates.
\u201cToday, ICE released a policy revoking guidance limiting the detention of pregnant women.\n\nThis policy endangers the lives of pregnant women, subjecting them to harmful and prolonged periods of detention. https://t.co/JHVJjWGih1\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Homan's memo, entitled "Identification and Monitoring of Pregnant Detainees," reverses guidance put forth by former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson during the Obama administration, which stated, "Absent extraordinary circumstances or the requirement of mandatory detention, pregnant women will generally not be detained by ICE."
Some pregnant women were detained under the earlier guidance--about 500 in 2016--but ICE will now err on the side of holding them in detention facilities rather than releasing them, as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to detain more immigrants than previous administrations.
\u201cThe changes in this policy feed directly into the administration\u2019s goals of increasing the number of people subjected to detention, without any regard to particular health needs or other vulnerabilities including pregnancy.\u201d— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLU of Indiana) 1522351302
Only women in their third trimester of pregnancy will still generally be released. Since the new policy went into effect, ICE has detained more than 500 pregnant women, according to the Huffington Post. As of March 20, 35 pregnant women were in immigration detention.
Christina Costantini, a journalist who has reported on immigration detention facilities, posted on social media about ICE's extreme lack of preparation for--and interest in--providing proper care for pregnant women.
Two women told the Huffington Post last year that they had suffered miscarriages while in detention in immigration jails, and said that ICE employees had neglected to give them proper medical care.
"This new policy further exposes the cruelty of Trump's detention and deportation force by endangering the lives of pregnant immigrant women," said Victoria Lopez, senior staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in a statement. "It removes critical protections for this vulnerable population and eliminates key reporting requirements for oversight of a detention system that needs more, not less, transparency and accountability."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.