Lawmakers demand ICE share lost records on miscarriages in custody

Democratic lawmakers are pressing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to disclose how many pregnant immigrants have suffered miscarriages, stillbirths, or pregnancy-related hospitalizations while in detention. The request follows the agency's admission that it lost track of these cases after a recent internal review.

Representatives Brittany Pettersen, Joyce Beatty, and Robin Kelly sent a letter this month to ICE acting director David Venturella. They asked the agency to explain what steps it has taken to recover the missing data. The letter was cosigned by 64 other representatives.

Government documents obtained by The Guardian show that ICE detained more pregnant immigrants during the fall and winter of last year than in the previous twelve months. The agency recorded 18 miscarriages during the first nine months of the current administration. However, the agency has no data on miscarriages occurring after October 3, 2025.

Detained pregnant women reported struggles accessing routine and emergency medical care. Medical experts warned that gaps in treatment during and after a miscarriage can turn treatable conditions into life-threatening emergencies. The lawmakers cited a 2021 directive that instructs ICE to avoid detaining pregnant, postpartum, and nursing immigrants unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist.

In their letter, the lawmakers wrote that ICE's inability to follow directives, provide adequate care, and maintain accurate records is unacceptable. Pettersen told The Guardian that the failure to account for a full year of pregnancy outcomes is deeply concerning. She said she is devastated for those who lost pregnancies unnecessarily and were left without needed medical care.

Internal agency documents state that ICE lost the data because it changed medical billing providers in October. The agency's medical claims processing has been delayed for months. Immigration attorneys and former government officials noted that tracking miscarriages solely through a billing provider is odd but plausible. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson initially claimed the agency was tracking miscarriages in monthly reports. Later, the spokesperson confirmed that ICE lacks data on miscarriages from October 2025 through June 2026.

The DHS did not confirm whether it received the letter from Congress. An agency spokesperson called claims that pregnant detainees are receiving subprime care false. The lawmakers gave ICE until November 6 to detail when leadership first became aware of the reporting concerns. Prior to recent reporting, the agency had never acknowledged losing count of miscarriages, even when senators requested the data.