A 21-year-old pregnant woman, Laura Rojas Ortiz, has been detained for over 40 days at the immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, along with her infant son, according to her family and an advocacy group. Rojas Ortiz is reportedly five months pregnant and has a high-risk pregnancy, her mother stated.
Her mother, Paola, told ABC News that Rojas Ortiz was detained during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas. Paola said her daughter had turned herself in at the southern border over a year ago with her infant son and partner. Rojas Ortiz subsequently began the process of applying for a U visa, which is designated for victims or witnesses of crimes, after a shooting occurred in her neighborhood and a bullet allegedly grazed her son.
Before her detention, Rojas Ortiz had been wearing an ankle monitor and regularly checking in with ICE, her family said. Her mother expressed concern that her daughter has not received adequate medical care at the Dilley facility, stating she has not had an ultrasound or seen a specialist, nor has she undergone necessary blood tests.
Immigrant advocacy groups have pointed to an ICE directive that generally advises against detaining pregnant, postpartum, or nursing individuals except under exceptional circumstances. Rojas Ortiz's family also reported that her infant son has been given whole milk at the facility, despite requiring lactose-free milk.
According to Paola, when lawmakers recently visited the Dilley facility, Rojas Ortiz was moved to a medical room. "And when they left -- so that the politicians wouldn't see her pregnant -- that's when they let her out of that medical room," her mother stated.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, who visited the Dilley facility recently, reported that over 500 people are currently detained there. He noted an increase in detained children and attributed it to an ICE surge and street-level raids that have led to families being separated. Casey Revkin, executive director of Each Step Home, an organization providing financial assistance to detainees, confirmed her group has been supporting Rojas Ortiz and other families at Dilley.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. However, the department's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sean Conley, previously stated that allegations of detainees being denied proper medical care are false. He asserted that ICE policy and practice ensure timely and appropriate medical care, including specialized services and 24-hour emergency care, which he described as superior to what many detainees may have received previously.