Rebecca Pinyerd is 70 years old, a Filipino grandmother who has lived in the United States for more than 40 years. This week, she is scheduled to be deported to the Philippines, and her Chicago family says they are terrified about what a more-than-15-hour flight out of O’Hare could mean for her health. Months in federal custody, they say, have left her without consistent access to medications for kidney disease, thyroid problems, and uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Relatives say Pinyerd was arrested more than 20 years ago on drug charges, served roughly 19 years in prison, and was later instructed to check in annually with the Department of Homeland Security. When she went for her routine March check-in, her daughter says, she was taken into custody instead. Since then, she has been transferred around the Southeast and is currently being held at a federal facility in Clay County, Indiana, while advocates in Chicago push for an out-of-custody medical exam and dialysis before she is removed, according to CBS News.
“I think she feels like she’s between a rock and hard place,” Pinyerd’s daughter, April Lowe, told CBS News. Lowe says she plans to accompany her mother on the flight. Louise Macaraniag, with a Filipino migrant organization in Chicago, told CBS the family is especially worried because Pinyerd has reportedly missed critical medications and may need dialysis. “A blood clot can lead to lung damage, a blood clot can lead to even sudden death,” Macaraniag said.
Held At Clay County Detention Center
Pinyerd is being held at the Clay County facility in Brazil, Indiana, a county jail that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, according to the agency’s facility directory. ICE lists the Clay County Jail with its contact information and location, and recent legal filings and local reporting have criticized conditions there and how county leaders have used funds tied to ICE contracts, lawyers and reporters say.
Medical Care In Detention Is A Wider Flashpoint
Advocates say Pinyerd’s case highlights long-running concerns about medical care in ICE custody, from basic access to daily prescriptions to treatment for serious chronic illnesses. Researchers and public health reviews have repeatedly called for more transparency and accountability in detention health care, and recent analyses of deaths and medical incidents in ICE facilities raise alarms about delayed treatment and limited oversight. Experts and published reviews describe systemic gaps that can leave medically vulnerable people at heightened risk. A recent review on PubMed Central and an update on deaths in ICE detention both underscore those monitoring and care shortfalls.
What Could Slow Down A Deportation Flight
Families and attorneys sometimes seek administrative stays of removal on medical or humanitarian grounds. ICE makes a stay form available and notes that it can be filed in cases with final removal orders, although decisions are up to the agency’s discretion. The forms directory lists the I-246 stay application, which advocates say is one tool for requesting time to arrange medical care before a deportation. ICE explains the stay process and filing details.
As Pinyerd’s removal date approached, her family and local advocates called for an independent medical exam and for consistent access to medication and dialysis. CBS News reported that the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment about her case. The family says it will keep pressing for medical clearance before any flight departs O’Hare.
For now, Pinyerd’s situation has become a rallying point for community groups in Chicago who argue it shows the human consequences of removal operations when detainees have complex health needs. Advocates say they will continue to push officials for medical review while the family explores legal options to delay deportation.
