Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Monday, November 17, DWC members Robin Kelly (IL-02), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), and DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) led 61 Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democrats in a letter to demand the urgent release and investigation of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women currently detained by Immigration and Custody Enforcement (ICE) in contradiction to Federal regulations. The Members expressed their extreme concern to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after hearing reports of pregnant women detained and mistreated in several ICE facilities in Illinois, Louisiana, and Georgia.

ICE is instructed not to detain pregnant, postpartum, or nursing people under its own policy; however, there have been multiple reports of pregnant and nursing women shackled, placed in solitary confinement, or deprived of proper prenatal or lactation care.

The Members urged ICE to immediately release pregnant women in detention:

“The health and safety of pregnant women should not be threatened as a result of the administration choosing not to adhere to Federal regulations,” the Members wrote. “That is why we urge the administration to fully comply with the existing regulations and immediately correct the violations… By detaining vulnerable women in appalling conditions while pregnant, you are subjecting both the pregnant individual and the unborn child to significant risks and possible death. We urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE to follow its own rules and regulations on detention of pregnant women and demand their humane treatment.” 

Read the full letter here.

In addition to letter leads Robin Kelly, Delia Ramirez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and Sylvia Garcia, the letter was signed by Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, André Carson, Troy Carter, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Emanuel Cleaver, Angie Craig, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Veronica Escobar, Valerie Foushee, Lois Frankel, Laura Friedman, Jesús García, Jahana Hayes, Val Hoyle, Glenn Ivey, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Julie Johnson, Robin Kelly, Ro Khanna, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Zoe Lofgren, Lucy McBath, Jennifer McClellan, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Gwen Moore, Kelly Morrison, Eleanor Norton, Mike Quigley, Emily Randall, Deborah Ross, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Terri Sewell, Lateefah Simon, Melanie Stansbury, Shri Thanedar, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Norma Torres, Juan Vargas, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.