Pregnant mother and toddler with disabilities detained at Dulles Airport for week without adequate care
May 26, 2026·Location: Arlington, VA
Country of origin: Ghana

Anabella Gyasi, 38, a pregnant Ghanaian woman, and her 4-year-old son who has a physical abnormality affecting his hands arrived at Dulles International Airport on valid tourist visas to seek medical care for her son at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio. At customs, she disclosed a fear of returning to Ghana because of persecution she faced for her son's disability. CBP officers took them into custody as asylum seekers after she stated under oath that she did not intend to return to Ghana, which led officials to nullify her tourist visa. Gyasi, who was about four months pregnant, was held in a windowless room at the airport with her son for more than a week without adequate food or medical care. She was twice transported to a hospital for treatment. DHS denied her care was inadequate. The ACLU of Virginia filed an emergency petition, and Judge Leonie Brinkema called the detention a "terrible situation," saying Gyasi should not spend another night at the airport. A Justice Department attorney said immigration authorities were prepared to deport Gyasi and her son back to Ghana that night. CBP had interviewed her and judged she did not have a "credible fear" of returning. The judge ordered the government to confirm her departure and ruled the petition moot. Gyasi and her son were deported to Ghana.
Timeline
Sources
- Pregnant woman and son fly home to Ghana after being detained for over a week at Dulles Airport
CNN·May 29, 2026·archived copy
- Trump admin illegally holds pregnant mother and toddler with disabilities for a week at Dulles Airport - ACLU of Virginia
- Gyasi v. Scott - ACLU of Virginia
- pacermonitor.com
- Anabella Gyasi Dulles Detention: Judge Orders Release of Pregnant Ghanaian Woman and Son
timesnownews.com·May 30, 2026·archived copy
- newsfromthestates.com
- MSN
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