Women in ICE Detention Face Widespread Abuse Amid Lack of Oversight, Report Shows

Under the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, more women detained by immigration authorities are being exposed to sexual violence, mistreatment, and the denial of basic rights in detention centers across the United States, according to a new report.

Many women interviewed by the HuffPost said they were raped, denied medical care during their pregnancies, and subjected to other serious human rights violations while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Serious pregnancy complications, sexual assault allegations, and suicide attempts are among the most frequently reported issues in ICE detention facilities, the report added. These incidents accounted for 60 percent of 911 calls made from the 10 largest ICE centers nationwide, according to a WIRED investigation published in June.

As of late June, about 22,000 women were being held in ICE custody — nearly 40 percent of the agency’s total detainee population — according to Detention Reports, a platform that analyzes publicly available data on immigration detention.

Advocates for women’s rights told HuffPost that ICE’s refusal to release gender-specific detention data is itself part of a broader pattern of rights violations and institutional opacity.

“They’re creating this black box of impunity, where they’re keeping women who are pregnant or who have advanced health needs,” Zain Lakhani, director of migrant rights and justice at the Women’s Refugee Commission, told the outlet. “There’s no one watching for human rights abuses.”

One of the cases highlighted in the report involves a woman identified as Andrea, a 32-year-old green card holder born in Argentina. She used a pseudonym when speaking to the outlet due to fears for her safety.

Andrea, a domestic abuse survivor, called police for help after her boyfriend had physically attacked her. But when officers arrived at the scene, she was arrested and taken to a county jail in Orlando.

Although her family posted bond, she was not immediately released. Instead, she was transferred to ICE custody and transported to Krome Detention Center — a Miami facility designated for men and long associated with allegations of inhumane conditions and sexual abuse.

Andrea told HuffPost that once at Krome, she and about 30 other women were confined to a small room with no beds, no shower, and no access to recreation areas.

At the time of her arrest, Andrea had been nursing her 3-month-old baby. While in custody, she said she was not provided a breast pump and had to relieve the pressure manually. She also said ICE officers failed to provide enough menstrual pads and described other serious privacy violations — including surveillance cameras mounted above the shared toilets and male detainees watching women from nearby.

Andrea said men would sometimes stand on tables or chairs to look into the stalls while women were using them.

“I felt like a sitting duck,” Andrea told HuffPost. “There was no type of privacy anywhere. You’re not human when you’re in there.”

Advocates say the number of pregnant and postpartum women in ICE detention has likely risen in recent months, raising concerns about access to prenatal care, high-risk pregnancies, and unsafe childbirth conditions.

According to the report, at least one pregnancy loss has occurred since the Trump administration began rolling back Biden-era protections for vulnerable people in ICE custody, including mothers, infants, and the elderly.

Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus, who was held in an ICE facility in Nashville, experienced a stillbirth while in custody. The Nashville Banner reported that she repeatedly requested medical care, but ICE agents did not provide any assistance.

She reportedly gave birth while shackled to a hospital bed. Shortly after, ICE allegedly attempted to deport her to Guatemala.

A congressional report released earlier this year following visits by the Senate Judiciary Committee to two ICE detention centers in Louisiana found 14 pregnant women held at one facility, many of whom described receiving inadequate medical care.

“This is an intentional action by the administration and not an unintended consequence of mass detention,” the Democratic Women’s Caucus wrote in a July letter calling for an investigation into ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“Your disregard for women’s health and safety is not just a one-time instance — the abuse and neglect are part of a larger, systemic failure to treat women with dignity, compassion, and basic medical care,” the letter read.