A Venezuelan woman in ICE custody in North Texas was told she is no longer pregnant after she was briefly hospitalized earlier this week for a medical emergency.
Darisbell Quintero Morillo has been at the Prairieland Detention Center since late March. She learned she was pregnant during her intake medical exam.
She was taken to a hospital about 15 minutes away on Tuesday because she had been bleeding, her attorney Oscar Mendoza told KERA, and released early the next morning. Bloodwork showed no pregnancy.
“We don’t know if she was ever pregnant, or if she’s having a miscarriage,” Mendoza said. “After the pregnancy test in March, she hasn’t received medical care. I think it shows the lack of care that they have. “
Mendoza said he doesn’t know which hospital she was transported to, or her condition.
“All we know is that she’s bleeding a lot and had two positive pregnancy tests and we don’t have access to medical records from [Tuesday] night,” Mendoza said. “She’s very confused and doesn’t know what’s going on because she never received medical care.”
Quintero-Morillo told KERA via phone from the Prairieland Detention Center last month she was concerned about not having access to medical care or nutrition, something ICE denied.
In a statement at the time, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said Quintero Morillo "was discovered to be pregnant upon intake and has received care from facility medical staff, including seeing a nurse practitioner March 29. She is scheduled to see the facility doctor April 27 and has an OBGYN appointment scheduled for May12."
Quintero-Morillo saw a doctor on April 22 to treat a headache, but did not see an OBGYN doctor on April 27, according to her attorney. An ICE spokesperson confirmed the April 22 appointment.
KERA reached out to ICE and is waiting for an update on Quintero Morillo’s condition.
Other Prairieland detainees, including pro-Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, who was released in March after a year in custody, have complained about conditions at the facility. A DHS spokesperson told KERA in a statement after Kordia was hospitalized in February that detainees have access to medical appointments and round-the-clock emergency care.
“For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they receive in their entire lives,” the statement read.
Quintero Morillo was detained during a routine check-in at the Dallas ICE field office. She and her husband came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2021, and both have pending asylum cases.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
