Amnesty Urges Release of Pregnant Asylum Seeker from ICE Custody

Amnesty International Canada has called for the immediate release of an asylum seeker identified as Anabell, who has been held in U.S. immigration detention despite being pregnant and suffering from severe health complications. The organization states that Anabell was arrested in late February and subsequently discovered she was expecting, yet she has not received the prenatal care required by federal policy.

According to reports from her legal representatives, Anabell’s physical and mental health has deteriorated significantly while in custody. She was placed in solitary confinement on multiple occasions and denied access to her own medical records, which have been withheld from both her attorneys and members of Congress despite repeated requests.

Detention conditions and medical neglect

Anabell reportedly experienced significant pain and bleeding while in detention, conditions that worsened before she was finally taken to an outside hospital for a suspected miscarriage. Staff at the facility allegedly forced her to carry heavy objects despite these symptoms. Since her return to custody, she has reported numbness, vomiting, and hair loss, with minimal follow-up medical attention provided.

Her attorneys last spoke with her in September, noting that her condition remains critical without access to appropriate obstetric care. The refusal to provide her medical records has hindered her ability to obtain urgent treatment outside the detention center, a situation Amnesty International Canada describes as a serious threat to her life.

Broader data on pregnant detainees

The case of Anabell is part of a wider pattern identified in data released by the Department of Homeland Security. According to figures cited by Amnesty International, ICE deported at least 363 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women between early 2025 and mid-February 2026. The data also indicates that thousands of pregnant women remain in custody, with some in their final trimester.

The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that it did not fully track nursing mothers in its custody and could not confirm the outcomes in nearly 500 other cases involving pregnant or nursing women. These statistics suggest that existing safeguards for vulnerable populations in immigration detention are not consistently applied in practice.

Advocacy and upcoming actions

Amnesty International Canada is urging the public to write to the ICE Field Office Director in Chicago, demanding that Anabell be released and provided with her medical records. The organization has also copied the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa on these communications, highlighting the diplomatic dimension of the case.

Watch for any response from U.S. immigration authorities regarding the release of Anabell and the provision of her medical records. Additionally, monitor further legislative or administrative actions that may address the broader issues of medical care for pregnant individuals in immigration detention.