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VICE: "It’s OK to Ask Detained Tourists About Abortions, US Border Agency Says" [1]

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Date: 2022-11-07

I’m posting the latest in a series of updates relating to my airport detention experience (there’s an abortion element here for those of you who haven't read about it already). CBP have changed their story again—and it differs greatly from what their special agent told me on the phone—to say “the correct terminology is pregnancy loss”. I wasn’t asked about "pregnancy loss" ever. It was: “Have you had a recent abortion?”

VICE reporting on the phone call I took:

“The questions you were asked were in line with the policies and procedures related to travellers in CBP custody,” the CBP official said. “Under current guidelines, CBP officials are required to collect information regarding potential medical issues, including pregnancy, postpartum and termination of pregnancy to childbearing females in CBP custody. This is done to ensure the health and wellbeing of those under our custody and is a top priority for CBP.” The wording of the special agent conflicts with the CBP’s publicly available policy regarding women of childbearing age, where termination is not mentioned once. It defines pregnancy loss as “stillbirths and miscarriages.”

ProPublica also ran a piece. In it, they were able to highlight other, far more serious problems female detainees have experienced. This one was particularly shocking.

In one case, a pregnant Guatemalan woman gave birth in her pants while leaning on a trash can after agents took her to a Border Patrol station instead of the hospital.

Then, earlier today, I received an email from the US Government's FOIA team saying no records exist in relation to my dealings with CBP at LAX on 30 June 2022. What does everyone think about this? Where does this leave me—the traveller who was refused entry—in terms of getting my deportation paperwork?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/11/7/2134445/-UPDATE-It-s-OK-to-Ask-Detained-Tourists-About-Abortions-US-Border-Agency-Says

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