Report reveals abuse of pregnant women, children at ICE facilities
4 Min Read
A new report from Senator Jon Ossoff’s office documents over 500 alleged human rights violations in US immigration detention centers.
-
A deportation officer with Enforcement and Removal Operations in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's NYC field office conducts a brief before an early morning operation on December 17, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York (AP)
A new report has uncovered hundreds of alleged human rights violations in US immigration detention centers, including the abuse of pregnant women and children.
Compiled by the office of Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), the report documents 510 credible cases of abuse since January 20, 2025. The findings detail a wide range of alleged violations, including deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of vulnerable populations, denial of medical care, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate food and water, exposure to extreme temperatures, limited access to legal counsel, and family separations.
Ossoff's office said its investigation is ongoing but has accused the Department of Homeland Security of obstructing congressional oversight. According to the senator, DHS has restricted access to detention sites and blocked efforts to interview detainees.
Detention surge under Trump draws scrutiny
Under the second Trump administration, US immigration arrests have surged dramatically, with a Guardian analysis showing a 268% increase in average daily arrests in June 2025 compared to the same month in 2024. Most of those detained have no criminal convictions, and immigration detention centers are now overcrowded by more than 13,500 people.
While concerns over inhumane conditions in US detention centers predate Trump’s return to office, the issue has escalated amid the administration’s aggressive crackdown on undocumented communities, including long-term residents and individuals admitted under legal programs that Trump is now working to dismantle.
The latest report from Senator Jon Ossoff’s office highlights serious human rights violations, including 41 cases of physical and/or sexual abuse of detainees while in DHS custody. Some detainees also allegedly faced retaliation for reporting mistreatment.
Among the most disturbing examples: at least four emergency 911 calls reporting sexual assault at the South Texas ICE Processing Center since January.
Allegations of abuse against women, children
The report also details 14 credible cases of mistreatment of pregnant women in DHS custody. In one instance, a woman was told to “drink water” after requesting medical care. In another, a woman reportedly bled for days before being taken to a hospital, where she was left alone in a room to miscarry, without access to water or medical assistance.
Additionally, the report cites 18 cases involving the mistreatment of children as young as two, including US citizens. One case involved a 10-year-old US citizen recovering from brain surgery who was allegedly denied follow-up care. Another involved a four-year-old child undergoing treatment for metastatic cancer, who was reportedly deported without seeing a doctor.
First reported by NBC News, the findings come from Senator Jon Ossoff’s office. In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NBC that “any claim that there are subprime conditions at Ice detention centers are false,” claiming that detainees receive proper meals and medical care and have access to legal counsel and family contact.
Meredyth Yoon, an immigration attorney and litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, told NBC News she had met with the woman who miscarried, a 23-year-old Mexican national.
According to Yoon, the woman described experiencing “horrific” and “terrible” conditions while in detention. She described overcrowding, people forced to sleep on the floor, limited access to food and medical care, abusive treatment by guards, poor communication about legal proceedings, and restricted contact with family and legal counsel, all of which DHS has denied.
In a statement from his office, Senator Jon Ossoff said, “Regardless of our views on immigration policy, the American people do not support the abuse of detainees and prisoners … it’s more important than ever to shine a light on what’s happening behind bars and barbed wire, especially and most shockingly to children."
