Demand Immediate Relocation of Pregnant Immigrant Children from Texas Facility

I am writing to demand immediate action regarding the alarming reports that the Office of Refugee Resettlement is transferring all pregnant unaccompanied immigrant children to a single facility in San Benito, Texas. Since July, more than a dozen pregnant children as young as 13 have been moved to this remote facility, and I urge you to intervene to ensure these vulnerable children receive proper medical and social-emotional care. Jonathan White, a former top official in ORR under both Obama and Trump administrations, has characterized this policy as "a choice to ensure zero abortions." By concentrating these children in Texas, where abortion is banned in nearly all circumstances including rape and incest, the federal government is effectively denying them access to reproductive healthcare without having to explicitly refuse their requests. This is particularly unconscionable given that approximately half of these pregnant children are pregnant due to rape. These are high school sophomores and juniors, alone in a foreign country, with organizations estimating that 80% to 90% of unaccompanied girls under 18 have experienced sexual assault. Many don't learn they are pregnant until they undergo exams under ORR care. Diana Romero, professor and director of the Center on Immigrant, Refugee and Global Health at CUNY, has described this situation as a "dramatic violation" of international law and public health practices. The south Texas facility is hours away from major cities and has a reported history of inadequate care, raising serious concerns about whether it can provide specialized care for what are often high-risk pregnancies given the young age of these patients. Several girls have already given birth and are being detained with their infants in this facility. I am asking you to take immediate action to relocate these children to facilities across the country where they can access comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion services if they choose. These children deserve proper medical care, mental health support, and the ability to make their own healthcare decisions. As White stated, "a 16-year-old who has been abused and wants to terminate that pregnancy should not be prevented by the federal government from doing so."