ICE arrests parents of 27,000 children in seven months
Updated
Updated · The Independent · May 8
ICE arrests parents of 27,000 children in seven months
7 articles · Updated · The Independent · May 8
The analysis says ICE deported about 1,400 parents a month, roughly double a year earlier, after arresting as many as 2,300 monthly under Trump.
Records show 15,000 fathers and 3,000 mothers were arrested, affecting 27,000 to 32,000 children, including 12,000 US citizens, with many parents and children holding different nationalities.
Advocates and lawsuits say the policy revives family separation; scrutiny has also intensified at Texas's Dilley detention centre, where nearly 600 children were reportedly held in poor conditions.
What happens to the thousands of U.S. citizen children left behind by the new mass deportation policy?
How could a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship redefine what it means to be an American?
The Human Cost of Trump’s 2025 Immigration Policies: Family Separation and Interior Arrests Soar
Overview
In early 2025, the Trump administration abandoned ICE's previous enforcement priorities, leading to a sharp rise in arrests of non-criminal immigrants and the implementation of a zero-bond policy that caused indefinite detention for many. This harsh approach included using family separation as leverage, forcing parents to choose deportation with their children or separation in shelters. As a result, over 11,000 U.S. citizen children experienced parental detention, with thousands of children entering foster care and federal shelters, straining child welfare systems. Legal support programs were cut, increasing barriers for families. These policies sparked widespread fear in immigrant communities, long-term developmental risks for children, and ongoing legal and legislative challenges.