CBP detained pregnant Ghanaian woman and disabled son at Dulles Airport for over a week

On May 19, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Annabella Gyasi, a pregnant 38-year-old woman from Ghana, and her young son at Washington Dulles International Airport after the pair arrived on valid visas for a scheduled medical appointment. Gyasi's son was born with severely malformed hands and had previously traveled to the U.S. for specialist care; on this trip, Gyasi told officers she and her son feared persecution if returned to Ghana. Rather than releasing the family under long-standing policies governing at-risk arrivals, DHS and CBP held them for more than a week in a windowless holding room at the airport with a single bed and toilet, locked in for 24 hours a day. Gyasi said she and her son were repeatedly hungry and not given additional food, which DHS disputed; she was hospitalized twice during the detention for pregnancy complications, including vaginal bleeding and high blood pressure.

The ACLU of Virginia filed a habeas petition on the family's behalf, arguing the detention violated regulations requiring release of at-risk individuals such as pregnant women and children. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered the government to show a legal basis for the continued detention, noting officials had asserted Gyasi's tourist visa was invalid because she had disclosed an intent to seek asylum. Facing continued confinement, Gyasi agreed to return to Ghana; Judge Brinkema ordered on May 29 that "the welfare of the petitioners and the interests of justice are best served by allowing petitioners to return home immediately," and the pair flew back to Ghana that evening.