ICE Recorded 18 Miscarriages — Then Stopped Tracking Them as Pregnant Detentions Hit Record High

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded at least 18 miscarriages among people in its detention facilities between January and September 2025, but the agency has no updated miscarriage data after 3 October 2025, according to government records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The missing data emerged as the number of pregnant people held in ICE detention increased. Records obtained by The Guardian show at least 87 pregnant women and adolescents were detained in October 2025, rising to 101 in November.

The gap does not establish that detention caused any of the recorded miscarriages, nor does it show how many pregnancy losses occurred after the reporting stopped. But it leaves a significant period for which the government cannot provide comparable miscarriage figures.

ICE Lost Access to Updated Miscarriage Data

ICE's records show 18 recorded miscarriages during the first nine months of 2025. The agency said it had no updated miscarriage information after 3 October. Internal documents attributed the gap to a change in ICE's medical accounting system. The agency had previously received miscarriage information through the Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VA-FSC), which handled medical billing for ICE.

That contract ended in October 2025, and Acentra Health, a Virginia-based healthcare company, was contracted to replace the VA-FSC. ICE's medical claims processing was subsequently delayed, according to documents reviewed by The Guardian.

DHS initially told The Guardian that ICE continued tracking miscarriages through monthly reports. The department later confirmed that it did not have miscarriage data covering October 2025 through June 2026.

The 18 recorded cases may also be an undercount. Not every detained person receives a pregnancy test, while early pregnancy losses may not cause noticeable symptoms or generate medical records.

Pregnant People in Detention Rose Sharply

The disappearance of updated miscarriage figures coincided with an increase in pregnant people held by ICE. ICE records show that at least 87 pregnant women and adolescents were detained in October 2025, followed by 101 in November. The Guardian described those figures as higher than at any point in the previous year.

Separate figures provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to Congress offer another measure of the population affected by the policy. Between 1 January 2025 and 16 February 2026, 498 pregnant, postpartum, and nursing people were recorded as 'booked out' of ICE custody, while 363 were deported.

As of 16 February 2026, 121 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing people remained in ICE custody, including nine pregnant people in their third trimester. The DHS figures clarify that a 'book-out' can refer either to a final release from custody or an interim departure, such as an off-site medical appointment or court appearance.

ICE Policy Limits Pregnancy Detention

The increase is significant because ICE Directive 11032.4, issued in 2021, places restrictions on the detention of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing people. The directive says ICE should generally avoid detaining people known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing for administrative immigration violations unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist. It also requires medical and custody reassessments for those who are detained.

The policy defines exceptional circumstances as situations involving national security concerns or an imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm to another person. It also requires facilities to provide appropriate access to obstetric care and monitor the health of detained pregnant people. DHS has said the directive remains in effect and that pregnant detainees receive prenatal appointments, mental health services, nutritional support, and accommodations aligned with community standards of care.

Detainees Report Difficulties Accessing Care

The Guardian also reviewed interviews and legal declarations from pregnant detainees who described difficulties obtaining medical care, including ultrasounds, prenatal vitamins, specialist appointments, and follow-up treatment after pregnancy complications.

One 35-year-old Nicaraguan asylum seeker, identified as Anabell, said she discovered she was pregnant after being detained during a mandatory ICE check-in. She later experienced heavy bleeding and was taken to an emergency department, where she said she was told she was no longer pregnant. She subsequently alleged that she did not receive the recommended follow-up care while in detention.

Medical experts quoted in the investigation cautioned that it is difficult to determine the cause of an individual miscarriage or attribute it solely to detention conditions. They also warned that inadequate treatment after pregnancy loss can create risks including infection and other serious complications.

The result is an information gap at a time when more pregnant, postpartum, and nursing people have entered the immigration detention system. ICE has not said when comprehensive miscarriage reporting will resume.