Maria was pregnant when she walked into a routine check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Dallas in October 2025. She applied for asylum in 2012, has no criminal record, and showed up exactly as required. She says she told officers she was pregnant. They detained her anyway.

For six months, Maria was held at Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas. She says the chicken often appeared undercooked, and her prenatal vitamins sometimes ran out for up to 15 days before a refill. A hospital doctor recommended two nutrition shakes a day; she says she received one or two a week. Her medical records show she developed high blood pressure and gestational diabetes and gained only 15 pounds by her third trimester, about half of what doctors recommend. At eight months pregnant, she was released with no explanation and left to find new prenatal care on her own, after losing her job and health insurance because of her detention.

Maria’s story is not an isolated case. A 2025 investigation by Sen. Jon Ossoff’s office found pregnant women in ICE custody reported poor medical care, inadequate meals and sleeping on floors. A 2021 ICE policy largely bars the agency from detaining pregnant people. Yet the government stopped publicly reporting how many pregnant, postpartum and nursing people it holds, and records show the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stopped tracking miscarriages after October 2025.

DHS and ICE leadership must follow ICE’s own policy and stop detaining pregnant women. Anyone already in custody deserves safe food, consistent prenatal care and the treatment doctors order. Congress should restore public reporting so families and taxpayers can see what is happening inside these facilities.

Sign the petition to stop ICE from detaining pregnant women before another mother and baby are put at risk.