County Fight
Litigation
Anchorage AK — First pregnant woman detained by ICE in Alaska wins court-ordered release from Hiland Mountain
Anchorage, AK
FIPS 02020
Current status: Federal court ordered temporary release; ICE's own guidance restricts detaining pregnant women; case ongoing in Alaska federal court, no guarantee against re-detention
The Incident
On March 20, 2026, ICE arrested Valeria Mendoza Santiago, a 25-year-old from Oaxaca, Mexico, at a bus stop in Anchorage. She was several months pregnant — confirmed by ultrasound the day before her arrest.
Key facts:
- She was transferred to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River (Alaska’s women’s prison, within Anchorage Municipality, FIPS 02020) — a new ICE-use facility distinct from the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
- She was dressed in prison garb, placed alone in a cell, and told she would be flown out of state to a federal detention center the next day.
- Her attorneys won a federal court order for temporary release, arguing ICE’s own detention guidelines advise against confining pregnant women except in narrow circumstances.
- She first entered the U.S. in 2021 near Tijuana to join her husband, who was already living in Alaska.
- Her husband, Jhony Gonzalez Merino, was detained by ICE in February 2026 and transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA.
- She has a school-age son and fears returning to Mexico due to threats of violence.
Why It Matters
- First known pregnant woman detained by ICE in Alaska since the enforcement surge began in early 2025 (per her attorneys).
- ICE policy conflict: ICE’s own guidance states officers “should not detain… individuals known to be pregnant… unless release is prohibited by law or exceptional circumstances exist.” The federal government argued in court this is guidance, not binding law.
- Expansion of facilities used: Demonstrates ICE/DOC use of Hiland Mountain (women’s prison) in addition to the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
- Ongoing: Released via court order but in active removal proceedings; attorneys note “the government has made no promise she won’t be detained again.”
Context
Per Alaska DOC, three women were detained by ICE in Alaska in 2026. The case surfaced in an April 21, 2026 ADN/Alaska Public investigation reporting at least 47 ICE arrests in Alaska through April 2026 — roughly one every two days.
Sources
This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.