Emine Ş — an asylum seeker from Turkey — spent the first few months of her high-risk pregnancy incarcerated at the Henderson Detention Center with no prenatal care.

But shortly after The Nevada Independent published an article in late January about her detention, Emine, who asked that her last name not be used out of fear for her safety, was released. Over a series of WhatsApp messages — translated from Turkish using Google Translate — Emine described the conditions of the facility as poor, even for a “normal healthy person.” 

She described sleeping without a pillow and said detainees could leave their cells for only two hours per day to shower and use the phone. Within the first month of her detention, she said she lost about 15 pounds. The Mayo Clinic recommends healthy women gain from 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. 

She said that there were several other pregnant women in the facility, ostensibly U.S. citizens, who were released within days of being detained (the Henderson jail holds immigrant detainees and nonimmigrant inmates). 

“This process turned our whole life upside down,” Emine told The Indy. “It’s very difficult to start everything again when I’m pregnant. I can’t work. My husband can’t leave me alone. We still don’t have a house where we can stay.” 

She was released as a result of a habeas corpus petition that allows detained individuals to challenge the legality of their confinement. 

Emine’s conversation with The Indy provides a snapshot of what immigration detention is like for pregnant individuals, especially as ICE seems to have reversed a policy that the agency should not generally detain individuals known to be pregnant or nursing.  

The Henderson Detention Center, where she was detained, has the most capacity to house women out of Nevada’s three main immigrant detention centers. As of December 2025, about 20 women were detained at the Henderson facility. The state’s largest detention facility, the Nevada Southern Detention Center, holds none. 

The extent of prenatal care available at the detention center is unclear. The Henderson Detention Center previously told The Indy that “medical services are provided in accordance with applicable laws.” Recent reporting from Mother Jones has found that ICE has not paid any third-party providers for medical care since October 2025 and has no mechanism to provide prenatal care. 

The Henderson Police Department said in a statement that “all detainees are provided standard essentials, as well as access to medical care, proper nutrition, and daily recreation time outside of their assigned housing.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not return a request for comment.

The stakes in Emine’s case were particularly high. A couple months before she was detained, she suffered a miscarriage and her husband’s family has a history of Down syndrome, increasing the need for genetic testing. In October, Emine was hospitalized after experiencing cramping. After falling ill at the facility, she was denied medication by a doctor at the detention center on account of her pregnancy. 

‘I want to bring my baby into the world with good thoughts’

Emine and her husband Batuhan came to the U.S. in 2023, fleeing Turkey after facing death threats and attacks from family members. Shortly after arriving, the couple filed for asylum, but following a minor domestic dispute that was dismissed by the court, Emine was arrested by ICE. 

Afterward, an immigration judge expedited her asylum hearing and denied her application. She is awaiting a decision from the federal court for an appeal, but has received no updates. She says there is no possibility of her being detained again as long as she abides by conditions set by ICE, including visiting their office every couple of weeks and seeking permission whenever she wants to travel out of state. 

Emine and her husband say the detention upended their lives. They lost their house, belongings and husband’s car. Now they jump from hotels to Airbnbs and sometimes have to sleep in her car. Batuhan struggled to make ends meet without Emine’s income, and she worries her husband, who is also seeking asylum, might be detained. 

“I am afraid of living again what I have experienced in this four-month period and the psychological effect it has left on me,” she wrote. 

Batuhan told The Indy previously they have no real support systems in the U.S. and struggle to get by on minimal English. The couple started a GoFundMe in January to help cover living expenses and items for their baby. 

She said she has not been able to obtain state health insurance because she is under ICE supervision and has hit several roadblocks trying to secure private insurance, speaking minimal English. Already, Emine said she had to pay for several medical expenses out-of-pocket and has a pending emergency room bill. 

Late last month, Batuhan contacted the office of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Emine said that a representative from the office visited the detention center. A spokesperson for Cortez Masto’s office, Arturo Gutierrez, said they do not comment on ongoing casework. 

In September 2025, the senator wrote a letter urging ICE to stop detaining pregnant women and asking the Department of Homeland Security to provide information about the number of pregnant women in its custody. 

Despite the circumstances, Emine and Batuhan remain optimistic. The couple has been hoping for a child for years, since they first got married in Turkey years ago. 

“I want to bring my baby into the world with these feelings and good thoughts,” Emine wrote. “Although these are very difficult times for us, we do not want to lose the excitement of having a baby.”