Medical Exam Disputes CNN Report, Shows Detained Immigrant Was Not Lactating, ICE Says

[PeteS in CA]

Medical Exam Disputes CNN Report, Shows Detained Immigrant Was Not Lactating, ICE Says

CNN published a story Monday about a breastfeeding mother apprehended in an ICE raid, but a medical examination disputes the story’s basic premise, finding the woman is not even lactating.

A CNN article told the story of Maria Domingo-Garcia, a mother of three of who was among the 680 illegal aliens apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier in August. Domingo-Garcia was arrested while working at a Koch Foods in Morton, Mississippi, and is currently being held in a facility in Jena, Louisiana.

Titled “A breastfeeding mom is still being held in an ICE facility 12 days after being detained, attorneys say,” the article centered around Domingo-Garcia’s separation from her four-month-old daughter, and the subsequent pain of not being able to breastfeed anymore. CNN spoke to Domingo-Garcia’s attorneys, Juliana Manzanarez and Ybarra Maldonado, both whom claimed that she was still breastfeeding her baby at the time of her arrest.
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In a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, not only did ICE reiterate that Doming-Garcia said “no” when first asked if she was breastfeeding upon arrival at an ICE facility, but a spokesperson revealed that a subsequent medical examination found that she was not even lactating.

“All ICE detainees receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility; that screening includes a woman being asked if she is breast feeding. During her initial medical screening, Ms. Domingo-Garcia answered no to that question,” said ICE spokesman Bryan Cox.

“Pursuant to subsequent media reports that falsely alleged Ms. Domingo-Garcia was being detained despite being a nursing mother, an ICE Health Services Corps nurse practitioner conducted an additional medical examination of Ms. Domingo-Garcia, which verified she is not lactating,” Cox continued.

Before anyone jumps there, it is possible for a woman with a full-time job to breast-feed. BUT it takes significant effort. Milk would have to be expressed into clean containers and stored safely. That maintains the state of lactation for the woman's body (I could not think of a less awkward way to word that) and provides milk for the caretaker to feed the baby while the mother is at work. That means that were the woman's home to be searched, there would be bottles of expressed milk in the woman's freezer or refrigerator and empty bottles ready to be cleaned or filled.

But CNN had their narrative, and the woman thought that lying in support of it would keep her in the US a bit longer.

[verga]

I have worked with three women over the years that have done just that. Imagine the surprise of one of the male coworkers when he almost grabbed the wrong bottle for his coffee.

[Polly Ticks]

That maintains the state of lactation for the woman's body (I could not think of a less awkward way to word that) and provides milk for the caretaker to feed the baby while the mother is at work.

Those of us who have been there generally just refer to it as keeping our milk supply up.