By Vanguard Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between Jan. 1, 2025, and Feb. 16, 2026, according to Department of Homeland Security data provided to U.S. senators, as Human Rights Watch and other advocates warn of mounting risks to detained women.
The DHS response indicates that, “(a)s of” Feb. 16, 2026, there were 86 detainees identified as pregnant in ICE custody, including nine in the final trimester. It also reports that 16 miscarriages in detention had been recorded by late September 2025.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly raised concerns about U.S. immigration detention practices, documenting abusive conditions and warning that expanding detention and deportation policies have led to broader human rights violations under the current administration.
Detaining pregnant or postpartum individuals introduces heightened health risks, according to advocates and medical experts. DHS maintains that pregnant detainees have access to adequate medical care, but reporting from media outlets and findings from Physicians for Human Rights and the Women’s Refugee Commission continue to raise concerns about gaps in care.
DHS also acknowledged that ICE is not collecting complete data on lactating women in detention, leaving uncertainty about the full scope of those affected. The separation of parents from young children, including breastfeeding infants, has raised additional concerns about family disruption.
According to the DHS response, 498 “pregnant, postpartum and nursing aliens” were recorded as “booked out” of ICE custody between January 2025 and February 2026. However, DHS stated it does not know whether those individuals were deported, released or transferred for medical care.
DHS described its policy by stating that “(g)enerally ICE does not detain, arrest, or take into custody aliens known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing for an administrative violation of immigration laws unless release is prohibited by law or for exceptional circumstances.”
Human Rights Watch has also warned that recent immigration enforcement strategies have “ripped families apart and terrorized entire communities,” reflecting broader concerns about the human toll of mass detention and deportation policies.
Advocates point to alternatives to detention that allow individuals to remain in their communities while their immigration cases proceed, rather than being held in custody.
Significant gaps in available data and transparency remain, underscoring the need for further investigation into detention practices and outcomes. The lack of clarity, advocates argue, highlights the importance of ensuring immigration enforcement complies with U.S. immigration law, constitutional protections and international human rights standards.
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