Apr 9, 2019 - Politics & Policy

16 Democratic senators call for ICE to reinstate release of all pregnant women

A pregnant woman holds papers and stands in line.

A pregnant Honduran immigrant stands in line for a bus leaving McAllen, Texas in 2016. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

16 Democratic senators have demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reinstate an Obama-era rule for the presumptive release for all pregnant women, citing a stillborn birth in a Texas immigration center in February and an increase in miscarriages, NBC reports.

The big picture: President Trump "ended the presumption of release for all pregnant detainees" last March through an executive order. ICE said it now evaluates on a case-by-case basis and takes "special factors" into consideration, and provides appropriate care to pregnant women in custody. In its argument to reinstate the Obama-era rule, the letter referenced a USA Today article that states at least 28 women have had miscarriages while in ICE custody over the past 2 years.

Read the letter here:

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