Open letter asks Trump administration to halt detention of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women.
A coalition of pro-life organizations has issued a public letter to the Trump administration calling for renewed protections for pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women in immigration detention.
Addressed to President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Lyons, the letter urges the immediate reinstatement and enforcement of prior federal guidance limiting the detention of pregnant women to “truly exceptional circumstances.”
“We write as pro-life organizations,” the letter states, “to urge the immediate reinstatement and enforcement of federal protections that prevent the detention of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women.” The signatories argue that pregnancy and the early postpartum period require medical care that detention facilities are not structured to provide.
Signatories come from a broad spectrum of organizations, including secular and faith-based groups. They include leaders from organizations such as Rehumanize International, Secular Pro-Life, Live Action, Democrats for Life, Feminists Choosing Life of New York, the Pro-Life Action League, and the American Solidarity Party, among others.
Individual advocates, medical professionals, and formerly incarcerated pro-life activists also added their names.
Specific requests
- Formally reinstate and enforce the July 2021 ICE guidance limiting detention of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women.
- Require headquarters-level approval before detaining such individuals.
- Restore transparency by publishing semi-annual data on detainees in these categories and justifications for detention.
- Review current cases and release women who do not pose a genuine security threat.
Policy shifts under scrutiny
In 2016, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adopted a presumption of release for pregnant detainees unless extraordinary circumstances justified detention. That policy ended in December 2017. In July 2021, ICE issued new guidance stating that, absent narrow exceptions, officers should not arrest or detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing.
Although the 2021 directive has not been formally rescinded, the letter cites multiple reports indicating it is no longer being followed in practice. ICE web pages describing these protections have been marked “archived” and described as not reflective of current practice.
The coalition contends that this shift has had measurable effects. According to data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, ICE detained 1,377 pregnant women in 2016 and 2,094 in 2018 — an increase of roughly 52% after the presumption of release ended.
Medical concerns raised
The signatories point to warnings from leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. In a joint 2018 letter, those groups cautioned that ending presumptive release for pregnant detainees “puts the health of women and adolescents and their pregnancies at great risk.”
The open letter argues that detention facilities frequently lack obstetric specialists, continuity of prenatal care, adequate nutrition, and timely emergency treatment. It also cites research linking maternal stress to preterm birth and other complications.
“Unborn children are dying because of this policy,” the letter states, describing reported cases of miscarriages, delayed care, and high-risk pregnancies in custody.
The letter also promotes alternatives to detention, including monitoring and community-based supervision, describing them as less costly and more humane while preserving immigration enforcement.
The coalition frames the issue as potential common ground. “Protecting pregnant women in immigration custody should be common ground,” the statement concludes.
The administration has not yet publicly responded to the letter.
