A pregnant Ghanaian woman and her young son have been detained at Washington Dulles International Airport for more than a week, according to lawyers who say the couple were kept in a windowless detention room despite serious health concerns.38-year-old Annabella Gyasi arrived at Dulles Airport last Tuesday with her four-year-old son after traveling from Ghana for a medical appointment in Ohio. According to an emergency court petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia, the child was born with deformed hands and was scheduled to be evaluated at Akron Children’s Hospital on May 30 to determine whether he was now old enough to undergo surgery.Instead of boarding their connecting flight, Gyasi and her son were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.The couple had previously traveled to the United States in 2024 to seek treatment for the baby, but later returned to Ghana after doctors reported that he was still too young for surgery.Gyasi is four months pregnant and told immigration officials she was afraid to return to Ghana because of the persecution she and her son faced.
Her lawyers say this statement led to her arrest.“Ms. Gyasi traveled lawfully to the United States to obtain necessary medical care for her son, but the unlawful detention and inhumane treatment she is subjected to in Dallas puts her son’s health and her own at risk,” Sophia Gregg, an immigrant rights attorney with the ACLU of Virginia, said in a statement.The legal filing alleges that Gyasi has been hospitalized twice since arriving in the United States due to pregnancy-related complications, including vaginal bleeding and dizziness.
Despite receiving treatment, I was returned to the airport detention center after two hospital visits. Doctors raised concerns that she was not eating enough and suffering from stress while in detention. They also claim that repeated requests for additional food for both the mother and child were refused.According to the ACLU, Gyasi ultimately agreed to sign deportation papers because she feared for the health of her unborn child and believed it was the only way to secure adequate food.
Her legal team later told authorities that the decision was made out of desperation.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rejected the allegations of abuse.“These allegations are false,” the ministry said in a statement.“Every person in CBP custody, including this person, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a physician, medications, and food,” they added.Immigration officials said Gyasi was unable to use a tourist visa to enter the country because she stated under oath that she intended to seek asylum and did not plan to return to Ghana.