Juana Villegas Part IV

More information on Juana Villegas.

Tim Chavez of  www.politicalsalsa.com first posted the story of Mrs. Villegas.   He has additional information on his website. The 287 deportation program in Tennessee needs to be repealed, most of the undocumented people picked up were stopped for traffic violations.  As for Mrs. Villegas being shackled - she is not a dangerous criminal as described by the Davidson County Sheriff's Dept. - It again appears that  DHS and ICE are not honoring the U.S. Constitution.

Maybe we need a Geneva Convention for immigrant detainees.  As shown with the Mrs. Villegas and the Postville detainees, shackling has become popular again.  If you recall, it was commonly used on slaves during in the 19th century.

Juana Villegas: Nursing Mothers and Breast Infections Part III

In regards to Juana Villegas:

The Davidson County Jail must not have any mothers who have experienced nursing their babies. It seems like if they did, they would have let these guys know what hell it is to have a breast infection.

On the other hand, maybe they think it is ok for an undocumented detainee to experience this type of pain.

Some information on Nursing and Breast Infections from La Leche League

It is best to start treating a breast infection as soon as possible and it is safe to continue nursing on an infected breast. Studies show that the baby is not harmed in any way by nursing when his mother has a breast infection.

Antibodies found in the milk protect the baby from the bacteria causing the breast infection. Moreover sudden weaning makes the infection worse. Research on mothers with breast infections shows that continued nursing helps to clear the infection much more quickly. Follow the treatment outlined for a plugged duct: Heat, Rest and Frequent Nursing.

Generally if the infection gets steadily worse, or noticeable improvement does not occur within 24 hours, it is wise to contact your doctor who may prescribe an antibiotic. Even if an antibiotic is necessary, continuing to breastfeed is best for you and your baby. Most antibiotics are compatible with breastfeeding. If an antibiotic is prescribed, be sure to take it for the whole course of the treatment.

With some types of breast infection, a doctor should be contacted without delay. For example, if both breasts are affected, if the nipple looks infected, if there is any pus or blood in the milk, if there are red streaks near the sore area, or if the symptoms came on suddenly and severely, these re signs of a bacterial infection that should be checked out by a doctor immediately.

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from WEb MD on Breast Infections/Mastitis

What is mastitis?

Mastitis is a breast inflammation usually caused by infection. It can happen to any woman, although mastitis is most common during the first 6 months of breast-feeding. It can leave a new mother feeling very tired and run-down. Add the illness to the demands of taking care of a newborn, and many women quit breast-feeding altogether. But you can continue to nurse your baby. In fact, breast-feeding usually helps to clear up infection, and nursing will not harm your baby.¹

Although mastitis can be discouraging and painful, it is usually easily cleared up with medicine.

What causes mastitis?

Mastitis most often happens when bacteria enter the breast through the nipple.² This can happen when a nursing mother has a cracked or sore nipple.

Going for long stretches between nursing or failing to empty the breast completely may also contribute to mastitis. Using different breast-feeding techniques and making sure your baby is latched on properly when nursing will help with emptying the breast and avoiding cracked nipples.

What are the symptoms?

Mastitis usually starts as a painful area in one breast. It may be red or warm to the touch, or both. You may also have fever, chills, and body aches. If you have these symptoms, call your doctor today.

Signs that mastitis is getting worse include swollen, painful lymph nodes in the armpit next to the infected breast, a fast heart rate, and flu-like symptoms that get worse. Mastitis can lead to a breast abscess, which feels like a hard, painful lump.

What increases your risk of getting mastitis?

You are more likely to get mastitis while breast-feeding if:

• You have had mastitis before.³
• You delay or skip breast-feeding or pumping sessions. When you don't empty the breast regularly or completely, your breasts become engorged or too full, which can lead to mastitis.
• You have cracked or irritated nipples, which can be caused by poor positioning or poor latching on.
• You have anemia. Anemia makes you tire more easily and lowers your resistance to infections like mastitis.
• Your nursing bra is too tight.
• You wear breast binders, which are used to suppress milk production.

The Nurses Cried for Juana Villegas, Part I

Juana Villegas gave birth to a baby on July 5. She had been arrested by Davidson County Sheriffs on the 3rd. At the hospital she was shackled until the very final stages of labor. The situation was so brutal that the labor and delivery nurses were crying. Later, when she was taken back to the jail she developed infections in both breasts because the officers at the Davidson County Jail (in Nashville) would not allow her to have a breast pump. She was separated from her newborn for 2 days. The baby developed jaundice.

The story on Juana Villegas did not appear when I searched Tennessee.com under "immigration." I finally found it under Villegas' name. Her arrest and the brutal nature of how she was treated probably needed to be hidden away back in the web-site. Few people would look up Juana Villegas - but under "immigration" the whole country would have found it. (it was published today in the front page of the NYT)

For those women breast-feeding their babies, have you ever had a breast infection? I can say, as a personal witness (I had one when I nursed my son) it is just about the most painful infection a woman can have.

p.s. The baby is an American citizen. Mrs. Villegas has been in the United States for 12 years and has two other American born children.
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Pregnant inmate shackled to hospital bed during labor

by Travis Loller
AP/Tennessee.com

A pregnant illegal immigrant found herself shackled to a hospital bed while enduring labor after being arrested on a charge of driving without a license, according to police and her attorney.

Juana Villegas of Nashville was arrested and taken to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office on July 3 after a Berry Hill police officer pulled her over for alleged careless driving and found she had no driver's licenseSheriff's spokeswoman Karla Weikal said a check of her immigration status found she had been previously deported, making her a medium-security inmate. ...Villegas was still in jail awaiting a hearing on the driving charge when she went into labor on the night of July 5. She was taken to Nashville General Hospital at Meharry, where she was handcuffed to the bed by her right wrist and left ankle until shortly before the birth...

Lawsuit may be filed

Ozment said his client endured unnecessarily harsh treatment for a misdemeanor violation. He said he is still deciding whether to file a lawsuit in the case.

"It was a denial of her basic human rights," Ozment said. He said officers would not allow her to take a breast pump with her from the hospital even though she was separated from the baby for more than a day after she was discharged from the hospital, causing painfully engorged breasts. He also said officers shackled Villegas' feet together when she had to go to the bathroom, making it difficult to perform basic hygiene necessary after birth.

..."The nurses requested the cuffs be removed and the guards refused," Ozment said. "The nurses were very upset, they were crying..."

for complete AP/Tennessee.com article click here

Juana Villegas part II

Time line of the Juana Villegas story:

July 3 - Villegas arrested
July 5 - she gives birth
July 7 - finally is joined with her baby
July 15 - Incident reported on AP
July 20 - Incident reported by the NYT

It took 17 days for the story to be important enough to appear in the NYT -
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Immigrant, Pregnant, Jailed Under Pact

Published: July 20, 2008
by Julia Preston

It started when Juana Villegas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was nine months pregnant, was pulled over by a police officer in a Nashville suburb for a routine traffic violation.

By the time Mrs. Villegas was released from the county jail six days later, she had gone through labor with a sheriff’s officer standing guard in her hospital room, where one of her feet was cuffed to the bed most of the time. County officers barred her from seeing or speaking with her husband.

After she was discharged from the hospital, Mrs. Villegas was separated from her nursing infant for two days and barred from taking a breast pump into the jail, her lawyer and a doctor familiar with the case said. Her breasts became infected, and the newborn boy developed jaundice, they said.

Mrs. Villegas’s arrest has focused new attention on a cooperation agreement signed in April 2007 between federal immigration authorities and Davidson County, which shares a consolidated government with Nashville, that gave immigration enforcement powers to county officers. ...Nashville officials have praised the agreement as a successful partnership between local and federal government.

Lawyers and immigrant advocates say Mrs. Villegas’s case shows how local police can exceed their authority when they seek to act on immigration laws they are not fully trained to enforce.

“[T]he 287G program...has been operated so broadly that we are getting pregnant women arrested for simple driving offenses, and we’re not getting rid of the robbers and gang members.”

Mrs. Villegas, who is 33, has lived in the United States since 1996, and has three other children besides the newborn who are American citizens because they were born here...

for link to complete NYT article click here