Additional Coverage:
Mother of Newborn in NICU Arrested by ICE in Chicago Area
Chicago, IL – A 22-year-old mother, Nayra Guzman, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the greater Chicago area just 15 days after giving birth to her daughter, who was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the time.
Guzman, an immigrant from Mexico residing in the Chicago suburbs, gave birth in early October. Shortly after her daughter’s birth, she noticed the infant struggling to breathe.
The baby’s condition worsened, turning blue, prompting Guzman to rush her to the hospital. Upon arrival, doctors immediately transferred the newborn to the NICU.
Guzman herself had recently been diagnosed with preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that can lead to severe health issues for both mother and child.
The arrest occurred on October 20, as Guzman, her mother, and younger brother were preparing to visit her daughter in the NICU. ICE agents surrounded their car, questioning them about their birthplaces and legal documentation. Guzman was then taken into detention.
“In that moment, I just felt fear,” Guzman recounted to The 19th news. “I thought, ‘the government is going to take custody of my daughter.
I’m going to be in detention, and I won’t be able to do anything for my daughter.’ If my daughter isn’t recovering with me there, I thought, then much less so if I’m arrested.”
Prior to her arrest, Guzman, who has a pending asylum petition and an application for a visa for crime victims, stated that she had not been concerned about “Operation Midway Blitz,” a Trump administration immigration enforcement tactic. Her primary focus had been on her own recovery and her daughter’s health.
“Our worry was, ‘How are we going to get this baby home and out of the hospital?’ That was our number one priority,” she explained.
Guzman was held in government custody for approximately 34 hours at the Broadview Processing Center. She reported receiving minimal food and water, despite authorities being aware of her recent childbirth and her efforts to produce breast milk for her daughter. She also stated she was not medically assessed during her detention, despite having recently undergone a C-section and her diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
Following her release, Guzman developed flu-like symptoms, which kept her separated from her daughter for nearly a week, The 19th reported. Her breast milk supply also diminished after almost two days without sufficient sustenance or access to a breast pump during her detention.
Guzman’s experience highlights concerns regarding the treatment of pregnant women and new mothers in ICE detention. The 19th reports that immigrant women in ICE custody have alleged inadequate food, sleeping conditions, prenatal care, and access to pumping supplies. One woman reportedly suffered a miscarriage while in a detention facility.
In response to these growing concerns, Illinois Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez has introduced a resolution urging the Trump administration to reinstate policies protecting pregnant immigrants and to closely monitor the quality of reproductive healthcare in detention facilities. The resolution aims to affirm Congress’s oversight role and “the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for all, regardless of immigration status,” emphasizing that “reproductive justice and immigrant justice are inseparable.”