Bold claim: unborn children are dying because of ICE detention policies, and this is a call to reinstate protections that would keep pregnant and postpartum women out of custody. A coalition of national pro-life leaders is pressing the Trump administration to restore federal guidance that generally bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining pregnant women and new mothers.
In a letter dated February 13, signed by more than 30 pro-life leaders from across ideological and religious lines, the groups argue that medical advocacy and investigative reporting have documented prolonged detention of women with high-risk pregnancies, delays in emergency care, miscarriages, and stillbirths. They state plainly: unborn children are dying as a result of the current policy.
The letter, addressed to President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, is a collaboration between Rehumanize International, a human-rights nonprofit, and Secular Pro-Life, an atheist-led anti-abortion organization. Notable Catholic signatories include Lila Rose (Live Action founder), pro-life ethicist Charles C. Camosy, and Leah Libresco Sargeant (author of The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto).
Libresco Sargeant told OSV News that while there can be disagreement about immigration policy and enforcement, it should not place innocent children in danger or punish their mothers unnecessarily. She emphasized that pregnant or nursing women should be avoided in custody when justice and prudence permit, and that mothers and children should receive proactive care if detention is unavoidable. She argued that current policy does not meet these principles.
Herb Geraghty, Secular Pro-Life’s communications director, confirmed that the letter was sent by certified mail and fax on February 13. He expressed optimism that mainstream pro-life organizations would sign on to show broad concern for these women and children, noting that pro-lifers have historically been a strong voting bloc for Trump and hoping the administration will treat the request seriously.
The letter follows reporting from The 19th (a nonprofit news outlet) and the American Civil Liberties Union detailing conditions faced by pregnant and parenting individuals during arrest and detention. More recently, local outlets reported Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) calling for the release of a two-month-old baby from a Dilley, Texas detention facility.
The pro-life leaders’ appeal comes after ICE ended a presumption of release for pregnant detainees in 2017 under the first Trump administration. In 2021, ICE issued new guidance discouraging the arrest, detention, or custody of pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women for administrative violations unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist. Multiple reports indicate that this guidance is not consistently followed in practice, and the signatories note that ICE’s website marks the 2021 guidance as archived and not reflective of current practice.
The letter requests four concrete actions: reinstating and enforcing the 2021 guidance; requiring field offices to obtain headquarters approval before detaining any pregnant, postpartum, or nursing woman; publishing semi-annual data on detained pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women with detention justifications; and reviewing current cases to release pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women who do not pose genuine security threats.
Libresco Sargeant clarified that the ask is urgent for mothers but moderate as policy: restoring the prior policy, proven to be workable, would align with a cautious approach that avoids detaining pregnant or nursing mothers except when absolutely necessary.
For those interested, the full letter from Rehumanize International is accessible at the organization’s site.
Would you support reinstating the 2021 guidance, or do you think current detention practices should be revised in a different way? Share your thoughts in the comments.
