ICE Is Ignoring Woman’s Life-Threatening Ovarian Cyst—and Her Condition Is Getting Worse

In the lead-up to Andrea Pedro-Francisco’s surgery scheduled Feb. 11, her ovarian cyst had become so painful that her doctor had to prescribe opioids. Six days before her operation to remove it, she was on her way to work in Minnesota when she was detained by ICE, as part of Operation Metro Surge.

That was two months ago, and the 23-year-old remains in ICE detention and without treatment, despite the efforts of pro-bono lawyers and lawmakers—one of whom called her situation “life-or-death.” “For over a month, my office has been going back and forth with ICE officials about Andrea’s condition,” Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.)—who represents Pedro-Francisco’s congressional district in the Twin Cities—told reporters during a press conference on Monday. “We have been ignored, put off, and frankly, lied to about the treatment she has received while in detention.” She’s reportedly only been given Tylenol for her pain. 

Craig was joined by Pedro-Francisco’s lawyer, Asra Syed, who said that when she spoke to her client in February, she’d said “the pain in her body was growing” and that her cyst had swelled to the size of a tennis ball. It reportedly became so severe that agents had to take her to the emergency room, but doctors said they couldn’t perform surgery while she was still in ICE custody. 

Andrea was 16 when she moved from Guatemala to the U.S. with her mother in 2019. There was no warrant for Pedro-Francisco’s detention when she, her mother, and a neighbor were boxed in by two unmarked cars and then surrounded by half a dozen masked men asking for documents. Neither she or her mother is reported to have a criminal record. And unlike the administration’s typical habit of rabidly creating some false narrative to defend unpopular arrests, the Department of Homeland Security has been unusually quiet when it comes to Pedro-Francisco’s case.

Pedro-Francisco’s doctors are now concerned her cyst could rupture or cut off her blood supply, risking infection, the loss of her ovary, or fatal internal bleeding—so much for the administration claiming they want to protect women. 

Earlier this month, a Texas judge denied Syed’s habeas corpus petition to release Pedro-Francisco, which argued that her client should not be held without bond and that her detainment was an “expensive and pointless endeavor.” In March, Craig said the administration was ignoring her demands for various forms to expedite Pedro-Francisco’s release, even using the excuse of the partial government shutdown—which, BTW, just stretched into its 59th day.

Pedro-Francisco is also, concerningly, in Camp East Montana—a disease-ridden facility in El Paso, Texas—where multiple individuals recently died, including Geraldo Lunas Campos, who detainees saw getting choked by guards. In February, ICE inspectors identified 49 violations of regular detention standards, including inadequate medical care.

“We are very worried she could have an infection right now,” Rep. Craig told the Minnesota Reformer in March. “The Trump administration won’t do a damn thing about it.” 

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