Shackled and Detained: A Pregnant Woman's Story

Juana Villegas from Mexico was nine months pregnant when she was stopped for a traffic violation, for which she was later found innocent. Because of an agreement between local police and federal immigration authorities, she was detained in jail where she was shackled. As Juana began to go into labor, she was shackled in transit to the hospital and while giving birth. She was not allowed to use a breast pump or nurse her newborn child. Take action at www.restorefairness.org.
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Nonprofits & Activism

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• Breakthrough
• Homeland Gitmo
• Guantanamo
• Detention conditions
• Immigrant
• Immigration
• detention
• human rights
• Mallika Dutt
• enforcement
• 287(g)
• jail
• shackles
• handcuffed
• pregnant
• pregnancy
• ICE
• Deportation
• undocumented
• alien

[LetsBreakthrough]

We cant decide who should be allowed to stay in our country or forced to go. But America should live up to its ideals, and those do not include taking pregnant women, shackling them and imprisoning them, especially without just cause. If we say we believe in human rights for some, but not for a group such as immigrants, we are making exceptions to our ideals. And when we start making exceptions to our fundamental ideals, it puts all of our freedoms at risk.

Crissy

Breakthrough

[redorch]

As someone who has served our nation in the military I am disgusted by "Lady Citizen" who shows such disregard for our country's principles.

Comments on here reflect the attitudes of citizens of Nazi Germany not the United States.

One day folks will realize that migration is an international problem. We won't solve the problem by acting callous. We'll solve the problem when we remove the reasons people are forced to leave their homes.

[70Aniram]

OMG thats so sad WHO the HELL would do tht to a woman tht pregnant. The cop tht arested her should be ashamed of him or herself

[daomalic]

promote love not hate

[nosoypelucona]

Some people just love to promote hate and racism! Brewer should be out, elect someone else! I know enough people who can vote, but they are not voting! I know about 300

[FATIMA4287]

SENDO EU MÃE, POSSO IMAGINAR A DOR E A HUMILHAÇÃO QUE ESSA MÃE PASSOU, NÃO HÁ INDENIZAÇÃO QUE PAGUE TAMANHA CRUELDADE. TODOS QUE PRATICARAM TAL ATO COM JUANA, DEVEM SER PUNIDOS, PARA QUE NÃO FAÇA ISTO À MAIS NINGUEM. ISTO É O QUE PENSO...

[brandiiii19]

Maybe some of you should go back to high school and realize the Declaration of Independence states that EVERYONE has basic human rights; and if i don't recall, wasn't America founded and built by immigrants? Think before you post ignorant comments.

[daomalic]

Only in the USA

[joseliness]

@Mikeyski4 so cus they were weaker, they had to kill most of them right?? like that's justified...

[Mikeyski4]

@joseliness

But did they come over here illegaly? The answer is no. Of course they were weaker than the Europeans. Their technology was years and years behind. Yeah, we did take over parts of Mexico. Almost every country on the Earth has taken over or taken parts from another country. It's just how it works.

[joseliness]

i mean ok they have to prosecute her from being in the us illegally, but not allowing her to breastfeed her child??? going shackled to the bathroom?? seriously???

[joseliness]

@Mikeyski4 not in the way we know laws now, but they did have their rules, and what makes you think they were "weaker"??, cus of that you can "take over" a country that's not yours?? oh and btw texas, arizona, new mexico, and california were all part of mexico in the 1800's...