21-year-old pregnant mom detained at Dilley facility for over a month, family says

Pregnant Mother Held at Texas Detention Center Beyond One Month

Tyunews.com – Laura Rojas Ortiz, a 21-year-old expectant mother, has spent more than 40 days in custody alongside her toddler at the South Texas family immigration detention center in Dilley. Her relatives and an immigrant rights organization shared these details with ABC News.

Background on the Detention

According to Paola, Rojas Ortiz’s mother, her daughter was in the middle of pursuing a U visa—a legal status designed for crime victims and witnesses—when authorities took her into custody. The incident occurred during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas.

“She was called to appear [at an ICE office] in Dallas,” Paola explained in Spanish. “She showed up like she always does, and they detained her.”

The family reports that Rojas Ortiz voluntarily surrendered at the southern border over twelve months ago together with her partner and their infant son. Following a shooting incident in their neighborhood where a bullet penetrated their walls and reportedly nicked her child, she initiated the U visa application process.

Before her arrest, the young mother wore an ankle monitor and maintained regular contact with ICE officials as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement efforts.

Medical Concerns During Detention

Rojas Ortiz, currently five months pregnant, faces what her family describes as a high-risk pregnancy. Paola stated that medical professionals at the Dilley facility have not yet examined her daughter.

“To this day, she hasn’t gotten an ultrasound or been seen by a specialist,” Paola told ABC News. “They haven’t done blood tests or anything.”

Immigrant advocacy organizations have pointed out that detaining pregnant women contradicts an ICE policy directive. The directive indicates the agency should avoid detaining, arresting, or continuing to hold individuals who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing unless exceptional conditions exist.

Paola also mentioned that her grandson, who previously consumed only lactose-free milk, has been served whole milk while at the facility.

Political Attention and Advocacy

When lawmakers recently toured the detention center, ICE personnel relocated Rojas Ortiz to what Paola described as a “medical room.” She claimed the move was intended to hide her pregnancy from visiting politicians.

“And when they left — so that the politicians wouldn’t see her pregnant — that’s when they let her out of that medical room,” Paola said.

Rep. Joaquin Castro joined several Democratic colleagues during a visit to Dilley last week. He reported that over 500 individuals are currently held at the facility and noted that staff permitted him to speak with only one minor.

“There are now more children there than there were before,” Castro stated at a press conference. “I believe that is the result of the ICE surge that we’ve seen over the last month or so. We’ve seen these raids on the street. We’ve seen families that have been torn apart on the street, brutality on the street.”

Casey Revkin, who leads Each Step Home—an organization aiding immigrant detainees—told ABC News that her group has been supplying financial support to Rojas Ortiz. The organization regularly deposits funds into the commissary accounts of detainees and their families.

“We’ve been filling Laura’s commissary account and the accounts of the families at Dilley every week. These deposits are a lifeline to families in detention,” Revkin explained. “It’s heartbreaking to think of a child not eating, and we’re always so relieved when we hear that a mom was able to use the commissary support to buy her children food they can enjoy.”

While immigrant advocates, healthcare workers, and legislators have voiced concerns regarding conditions at the South Texas center, DHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sean Conley has contested claims that detainees receive inadequate medical attention.

“These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE,” Dr. Conley previously stated.

A Department of Homeland Security representative did not provide a response when ABC News requested comment.