US Accused of Moving Pregnant Immigrant Girls to Texas to Block Abortions
In a move decried as a significant human rights violation, the United States is allegedly transferring all unaccompanied immigrant children who are pregnant to a single facility in Texas, with critics asserting this is deliberately done to avoid providing abortion services. Many of these girls, some as young as 13, became pregnant due to rape, according to investigations by the Texas Newsroom and the California Newsroom.
Targeted Transfers to Restrictive States
Since July, over a dozen pregnant minors have been relocated to a facility in San Benito, a small town along the south Texas border. Texas enforces a near-total abortion ban, including exceptions for rape and incest, making it nearly impossible for detainees to access reproductive healthcare. Jonathan White, a former official with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under both the Obama and Trump administrations, stated that this strategy ensures "zero abortions" by placing girls in a state where federal officials do not need to explicitly deny the procedure.
Escalating Concerns Over Healthcare and Rights
The relocation amplifies existing issues in immigration detention centers, such as inadequate healthcare for pregnant individuals, separation of nursing parents and infants, and past allegations of forced sterilization. Diana Romero, a professor at CUNY's Center on Immigrant, Refugee and Global Health, condemned the "total disregard" for detainee rights, labeling it a "dramatic violation" of international law and public health standards that mandate consensual medical treatment.
Romero emphasized that forcing anyone to carry a pregnancy to term is "egregious," and moving detainees to states with restrictive abortion laws adds another layer of concern. White echoed this, calling the decision-making for these girls regarding their rapist's babies an "extraordinary human rights problem."
Vulnerability and Lack of Specialized Care
Pregnant unaccompanied minors typically range from 15 to 16 years old, but can be younger, with many facing high-risk pregnancies due to their age. However, the remote Texas facility, hours from major cities, may lack the specialized care needed. White noted that while the government does not track sexual assault rates among these girls, estimates suggest 80% to 90% experience such trauma, with about half of pregnancies resulting from abuse either in their home countries or during transit.
Legal and Historical Context
The Flores settlement agreement of 1997 guarantees children in US detention access to comprehensive reproductive health services. In 2018, the ACLU won a case against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), requiring officials to connect pregnant minors with abortion services if desired. However, the Dobbs decision has since overturned the constitutional right to abortion, making access dependent on location. Romero highlighted that people of color, including Black, Latina, and Native American women, have historically faced reproductive rights violations by the US government, with "presumed immigrants" now facing additional barriers.
Government Response and Ongoing Detention
When questioned about the care provided and the control of ORR by immigration officials, HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard dismissed the claims as "completely inaccurate," asserting ORR's commitment to the safety and well-being of children in custody. Despite this, sources report that some girls have given birth and remain detained in Texas with their infants, amid concerns over inadequate facility care. White stressed the need for protection, arguing that a 16-year-old abuse survivor should not be prevented by the federal government from accessing an abortion simply because she is held prisoner in a restrictive state.
