On April 28, a nurse at the Aurora ICE Processing Center near Denver called 911. A woman in custody, four months pregnant, had arrived at the facility’s medical unit, bleeding and in pain. As the staff rushed to get vitals, the dispatcher rattled off questions: How old was she? Was the pregnancy high risk? The nurse hesitated: “She just came to us three days ago.”
On 911 audio obtained by WIRED, the dispatcher’s voice cuts in:
“Is there any sign of life?”
“Have we heard a heartbeat?”
“Does she feel any kicking?”
“We don’t have the equipment to do that,” the nurse replies.
It was just one incident in a spike of emergencies playing out inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers nationwide.
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A WIRED investigation into 911 calls from 10 of the nation's largest immigration detention centers found that serious medical incidents are rising at many of the sites. The data, obtained through public records requests, show that at least 60 percent of the centers analyzed had reported serious pregnancy complications, suicide attempts, or sexual assault allegations. Since January, these 10 facilities have collectively placed nearly 400 emergency calls. Nearly 50 of those have involved potential cardiac episodes, 26 referenced seizures, and 17 reported head injuries. Seven calls described suicide attempts or self-harm, including overdoses and hangings. Six others involved allegations of sexual abuse—including at least one case logged as “staff on detainee.”
WIRED spoke with immigration attorneys, local migrant advocates, national policy experts, and individuals who have been recently detained or have family currently in ICE custody. Their accounts echoed the data: a system overwhelmed, and at times, seemingly indifferent to medical crises.
Experts believe the true number of medical emergencies is far higher.
The records WIRED reviewed capture only the medical emergencies that resulted in a 911 call—typically made by facility staff. Experts say many serious incidents likely go unreported, citing years’ worth of reports and independent medical reviews. Even among those that did prompt outside help, a third of all the calls had vague or nonexistent descriptions, with details often withheld by authorities.
For example, on March 16, a woman identifying herself as a detainee at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, called 911. Communication was strained: The dispatcher spoke no Spanish, and the caller only a little English. "I need help,” the woman said. "I need … ayuda." The line goes abruptly dead, triggering a follow-up call from the emergency operator. A staff member at the facility answers the phone: “We're at a detention center, and the detainee called 911, I'm sorry.” The woman's voice is still audible in the background, still pleading. Records indicate no ambulance was dispatched.