Immigration detention is the fastest growing form of incarceration in the US, and women represent an increasing share of the immigrant detainee population. Human Rights Watch research in detention facilities in Florida, Arizona, and Texas found that these women, held for periods ranging from a few days to several months or even years, often have limited and inadequate access to basic health care, including reproductive health. Female detainees reported struggling to obtain important services such as Pap smears to detect cervical cancer, mammograms to check for breast cancer, pre-natal care, access to contraceptives, counseling for survivors of violence, and even basic supplies such as sanitary pads or breast pumps for nursing mothers. Many of these problems are traceable to the official policy of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which focuses on emergency care and effectively discourages the routine provision of some core women's health services. The Human Rights Watch report can be accessed at http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/03/16/detained-and-dismissed.

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