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(CNN) -
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a new policy stating that women known to be pregnant or breastfeeding should not be detained, arrested or taken into custody. unless their release is prohibited, according to a newly published guide.
The move is a departure from the Trump administration's policy, when immigration officials were ordered to no longer release pregnant women from ICE custody.
Obama administration policy urged officers to assume that a pregnant woman could be released, except in dire circumstances.
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In an ICE notification sent to members of Congress on Friday and obtained by CNN, Acting Director Tae Johnson said the change "reflects our commitment to treating all people with respect and dignity while continuing to apply the laws of our nation".
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In recent months, the Biden administration has introduced a series of changes related to immigration law enforcement, stemming from President Joe Biden's decrees that seek to undo the more aggressive measures taken under his predecessor.
How do the new guidelines work?
In February, for example, ICE introduced new guidelines that would reduce enforcement measures, focusing more on immigrants who pose a risk to national security, border security, or public safety and marking a return to enforcement measures. Obama-era immigration law enforcement.
The administration also ended the detention of families earlier this year.
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Migrant advocates have repeatedly warned of the dangers of detaining pregnant women and have criticized the Trump administration for repealing the previous policy limiting their detention. In a 2019 report, the Government Accountability Project found an increase in arrests of pregnant people from 2016 to 2018, but said officers in some areas still generally avoided detaining pregnant women.
The latest ICE directive outlines steps to be taken in the "very limited circumstances" in which a person known to be pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding is detained.
It includes, for example, that if ICE identifies a pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding woman, it must also notify senior ICE officials to determine whether it is appropriate to continue the detention.
The guideline also goes further than that issued under the Obama administration by also including women who are breastfeeding and the one-year period immediately after giving birth to their child.
As of July 2, there were 27,008 immigrants detained by ICE, according to agency data.
ICE