El Paso ICE detainee suffering from untreated ovarian cyst as medical neglect alarms advocates

Andrea Pedro Francisco, a 23-year-old Indigenous Mayan immigrant from Guatemala, remains in agonizing pain inside ICE detention in El Paso after being diagnosed with a large ovarian cyst. Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig visited Pedro Francisco at the El Paso Service Processing Center on May 4 and confirmed the diagnosis following an ultrasound. Despite the urgent medical emergency, Pedro Francisco has yet to receive necessary surgery.

Pedro Francisco was detained on February 5 during ICE’s Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. At that time, she was scheduled for surgery to remove the cyst but has been denied proper care since her arrest. The Department of Homeland Security claims she has been seen by medical staff multiple times, including an emergency room visit where the cyst was diagnosed and pain medication administered. However, advocates and her legal team say the initial denial of the cyst at the Camp East Montana detention center delayed critical treatment.

Congresswoman Craig, alongside Pedro Francisco’s immigration attorney Rudy Powers, is pushing for humanitarian parole to allow her to leave detention and receive surgery, ideally back in Minnesota. Craig has sent letters and a formal request for her release, echoing calls from Amnesty International and other human rights groups.

This case exposes a broader pattern of neglect and abuse in ICE detention centers, which have seen at least 49 deaths since President Trump resumed office, including 18 in 2026 alone. The mental and physical health toll of detention is severe, with experts warning that practices like solitary confinement exacerbate psychological deterioration and suicide risk.

Pedro Francisco’s story is a stark reminder of the human cost behind the Trump administration’s mass detention and deportation agenda. While ICE claims detainees receive adequate care, mounting evidence and tragic outcomes tell a different story — one of systemic failure and disregard for immigrant lives. We will continue to track this case and others like it, demanding accountability and humane treatment for all in ICE custody.