Dr. Urbina Testifies on Harms of ICE
OUR STATEMENT
Today, Dr. Josephine Urbina, an ob/gyn in California and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, is testifying before the Democratic Women’s Caucus in a hearing titled “The Assault of Women By Trump’s ICE & CBP.”
Dr. Urbina will discuss the public health crisis caused by attacks on immigrant community members. The following is from her testimony:
“I am here today because what is happening to pregnant and postpartum immigrants in this country is cruel, dangerous, and fundamentally inhumane.
“As physicians, we are witnessing the devastating consequences of immigration policies rooted in punishment and fear. We are watching pregnant people delay lifesaving care because they are terrified of ICE presence in hospitals. We are watching postpartum patients disappear from medical care because they fear detention and family separation. We are watching immigrant families forced to navigate pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting under constant threat.
“Detention is fundamentally incompatible with evidence-based pregnancy care, maternal health and the principles of reproductive justice, which are rooted in bodily autonomy, family integrity, and the right to parent safely and with dignity.
“We must also recognize that detention does not make pregnancy disappear. It does not erase the need for prenatal care, miscarriage management, postpartum support, contraception, or abortion care. Instead, detention places these essential health needs behind closed doors, where delays in care, barriers to timely referrals, lack of privacy, and interference with patient-centered medical decision-making become routine.
“No one should lose the ability to make decisions about their pregnancy because they are in immigration custody.
“Congress has the responsibility to ensure that healthcare settings remain places of care rather than fear, and that pregnancy and parenting are not made more dangerous by detention, surveillance, or family separation.
“Every person, regardless of immigration status, deserves the ability to seek medical care with dignity, safety and humanity.”
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