AUTHOR: Reuters
The Trump administration is ending an exemption from immigration detention for pregnant women, reversing an Obama-era directive.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers will make a case by case determination under the new policy. Women in their third trimester will still be released as before, said Philip Miller, an Ice deputy executive associate director.
“Just like there are men who commit heinous acts violent acts, so too have we had women in custody that commit heinous acts,” Miller told reporters on Thursday.
The Republican president has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, including policies on which deportees can remain free during pending cases. Democrats and advocacy groups have criticized the administration for separating immigrants from their children when detained.
