Dem senators call for Trump to restore release for pregnant migrants

A group of Democratic senators called for President Trump to restore presumptive release for pregnant migrants in a letter obtained by The Hill.

“In the absence of compelling evidence that the detention of a pregnant woman is necessary because she is a threat to herself or others, or is a threat to public safety or national security, the civil detention of an expectant mother for potential immigration offenses is never justified,” the letter, which was sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday morning, said.

{mosads}The senators urged ICE to bring back the Obama-era rule of presumptive release “for all pregnant women” in immigrant detention, which Trump reversed.

They also called on CBP to institute measures ensuring “timely and appropriate treatment” for pregnant women in its custody. The letter also requested detailed information from both agencies on availability of facilities and doctors for pregnant immigrants as well as more complete data on how many are currently in custody.

NBC first reported on the letter.

The letter, led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), is signed by 2020 presidential contenders Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Cortez Masto’s office did not immediately respond to a request from The Hill for further information on the letter.

The request follows a Honduran woman delivering a stillborn boy after going into premature labor at an immigration detention center in Texas in February.

ICE has indicated that 28 women may have experienced a miscarriage just prior to or while in ICE custody over the past two years, per NBC.

The Trump administration stopped presumptively releasing pregnant women in March 2018. According to ICE’s website, it now completes a case-by-case assessment of custody, taking “special factors” into consideration.

Neither ICE nor CBP immediately responded to a request for comment on the letter.