Minnesota woman in ICE detention with ovarian cyst denied humanitarian parole
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A Minnesota woman who has been in ICE detention for three months with an ovarian cyst said she has not received appropriate medical care, and her hopes of getting care soon are dimming after a judge’s order.
Andrea Pedro-Francisco, 23, is from Guatemala and has lived with her family in Burnsville since 2019. She was arrested by immigration agents on her way to work in early February and sent to a detention center in El Paso, Texas, just days before her scheduled surgery.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, whose district includes Burnsville, told MPR News that Pedro-Francisco appealed for humanitarian parole in order to get treatment, but that it was denied Tuesday morning.
“Unfortunately they are not going to parole her back to Minnesota to get the treatment that she needs, and we’ll obviously await her attorneys to decide what the next steps are,” said Craig on Minnesota Now with Nina Moini.
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Pedro-Francisco’s lawyer, Asra Syed told MPR News host Clay Masters that the application for parole was one of their final chances to get her released to get care, “this was really one of our, I don't want to say last and best hopes, because hope springs eternal, right?”
Craig traveled Monday to visit two detention centers in El Paso, Texas: Camp East Montana and the El Paso Processing Center. She said she had tried for months to visit Pedro-Francisco, but a measles outbreak at Camp East Montana delayed access. On Monday, she visited with Pedro-Francisco for 40 minutes.
Craig said she learned Pedro-Francisco was initially examined by a physician at Camp East Montana, who determined she did not have an ovarian cyst. Pedro-Francisco was later transferred to the El Paso Processing Center because of severe pain and then three days ago taken to an outside facility for an ultrasound, which confirmed a cyst about the size of a tennis ball.
“We’re just trying to make sure that she gets the medical care and surgery that she needs,” Rep. Craig said. “Physicians have written to ICE to say this is a very dangerous situation when a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst goes untreated, so we’re going to keep pushing to get her the treatment that she deserves.”
Syed said Pedro-Francisco’s pain was so severe that her doctor prescribed her an opioid before her arrest. Syed said that in detention, Pedro-Francisco was given Tylenol.
According to the Mayo Clinic, large cysts can cause the ovary to move, increasing the chance of painful twisting of the ovary. There is also a risk that the cyst can rupture.
Craig told MPR News that, in addition to physical pain, Pedro-Francisco said she is struggling emotionally being away from her family and church, where she plays bass.
Pedro-Francisco has an immigration hearing later this month, where Syed hopes she can continue to pursue legal relief.
Use the audio player above to listen to a conversation with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini and Rep. Craig.
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