Immigrant Detention Centers Allegedly Subject Pregnant Women to Harsh Abuses According to a Democratic Report
In a shocking exposé, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) has released a comprehensive report detailing human rights abuses in U.S. immigration detention facilities, covering 25 states and various types of facilities, including DHS, ICE, BOP, HHS, and private contractors [1][2][4].
The investigation, based on public records, interviews with detainees, correctional staff, and attorneys, has documented 510 credible reports of human rights abuses since January 2025 [1]. Key documented abuses include 41 instances of physical or sexual abuse, 14 cases of mistreatment of pregnant women, and 18 involving abuse or medical neglect of children, some of whom are U.S. citizens [1].
Pregnant women have faced particularly harrowing conditions, with reports of them being forced to sleep on floors in overcrowded intake cells, denied timely medical care, and being told to "just drink water" instead of receiving proper checkups [2][3]. In a heart-wrenching case, a pregnant woman bled for days before being taken to a hospital where she was left alone to miscarry for over 24 hours without water or medical assistance [2][3].
Children, too, have suffered from medical neglect and denial of care. One instance involved a U.S. citizen girl who was hospitalized three times while in custody with her non-citizen parent [4]. The report also details the deportation of a 4-year-old U.S. citizen with cancer without his necessary medication after his mother’s removal [4].
Physical abuses documented include detainees being left in small rooms for hours without food or water, use of flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets when detainees protested poor conditions, and shackling detainees with zip ties causing injuries to their wrists. Solitary confinement was reportedly used following detainees’ requests for mental health help [3][4].
The report emphasizes that these abuses represent systemic issues of repression and neglect, rather than isolated incidents. Conditions such as overcrowding, unsanitary facilities, denial of urgent medical care, as well as physical and sexual violence, highlight ongoing human rights violations within the U.S. immigration detention system [1][2][3][4].
DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin previously told NBC News that any claims of subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false [5]. However, the report does not include any response from the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Prisons, or Department of Health and Human Services regarding the human rights abuses detailed in the report [1].
References:
[1] Ossoff, J. (2025). Report on Human Rights Abuses in U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities. Retrieved from [link] [2] NBC News. (2025). Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff Releases Report on Human Rights Abuses in U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities. Retrieved from [link] [3] Associated Press. (2025). Senator Jon Ossoff's Report Details Abuses in U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities. Retrieved from [link] [4] CNN. (2025). Senator Jon Ossoff's Report Details Abuses in U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities. Retrieved from [link] [5] NBC News. (2025). DHS Says Claims of Subprime Conditions at ICE Detention Centers are False. Retrieved from [link]
Pregnant women in these facilities have faced disheartening health-and-wellness conditions, including being denied timely medical care, forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded cells, and mistreatment that can be linked to mental-health issues [2][3]. Furthermore, the lack of proper medical care provided to women and children, such as a pregnant woman left without water or medical assistance for over 24 hours during a miscarriage [2][3], highlights the urgent need for improved women's-health policies within the U.S. immigration detention system.
