Pregnant woman from Ghana and her son are being detained at Dulles Airport
A pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son from Ghana have been held for more than a week at a Washington, D.C.-area airport, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Anabella Gyasi arrived at Dulles International Airport on May 19 with a valid tourist visa to bring her son to the United States for medical treatment, and she has been detained in a holding room by Customs and Border Protection since then, the ACLU said, amid the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown.
The ACLU filed a habeas petition for Gyasi and her son on Tuesday, alleging they are being detained "despite long-standing regulations and policies requiring that certain at-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and children, be released." The petition also points to a court settlement that requires children to be transferred out of detention within 72 hours.
The 38-year-old mother first brought her son to the U.S. in 2024, when he was 2 years old, to see a specialist for physical abnormalities affecting both of his hands, according to the habeas petition. At that appointment, Gyasi was told her son was too young for corrective surgery.
Earlier this month, Gyasi scheduled a pre-operation appointment at a children's hospital in Ohio and planned on traveling with the same tourist visa she had previously used, according to her lawyers.
After landing at Dulles on May 19, Gyasi and her son went through U.S. Customs, where they were questioned about the purpose of their trip.
"Although Ms. Gyasi has valid tourist visas for her and [her son], she disclosed her fear of returning to Ghana based on the persecution she and her son faced," the petition states. "Ms. Gyasi and [her son] were then taken into custody by CBP at Dulles Airport."
Since their initial detention, Gyasi and her son have been held in a room at the airport "that has a single bed, a toilet, a sink, and no windows. They are kept locked in their room for 24 hours a day," said the petition.
According to the ACLU, CBP instituted a policy last month requiring the physical custody of all asylum-seeking individuals entering the country at ports of entry, which the group says violates other long-standing policies.
"CBP does not maintain immigration detention facilities equipped to safely care for people long-term," the petition states. "Instead, pursuant to this policy, CBP has converted nonpublic commercial rooms within airports into prison cells. These "hold rooms" are equipped with nothing more than a toilet, a sink, and a bed, with no on-site medical services."
Gyasi has been transported to the hospital twice during her detention, according to the habeas petition.
"Doctors there diagnosed her with complications due to the high stress she was experiencing, gave her medication to stop the bleeding, and prescribed blood pressure medication," her lawyers said in court documents.
According to Gyasi's lawyers, the Ghanaian mother "became concerned about the health of [her son] and her unborn child, given their constant hunger." She was allegedly prevented from purchasing food for her son.
Because of concern for her unborn child, the ACLU said that Gyasi told officers she would rather be deported than denied food, and she signed a deportation order. The ACLU said Gyasi does not wish "to relinquish their asylum claims" and said she agreed to be deported "out of desperation" for the health of her son.
A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed Gyasi is currently in CBP custody at Dulles and said she "will remain in custody pending her immigration hearing."
The DHS spokesperson called the allegations about the conditions of the holding room and the food "false."
"Everyone in CBP custody, including this individual, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a doctor, medication, and food," DHS said.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the government to show a legal basis for the detention of Gyasi and her son.
"A failure to show an adequate legal basis for Petitioners' continued detention will result in their immediate release so that they may pursue [her son's] planned medical care," U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote in her order.
