The Trump administration’s directive to federal immigration agents regarding the detention and deportation of parents of minor children states that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents must accommodate a parent’s “efforts to make alternative care arrangements for their minor child(ren) prior to detention.”
However, a report released Wednesday by the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) reveals that many parents, including those interviewed at deportee reception centers in Honduras, have been forced to quickly depart their children in the care of friends, relatives, or even babysitters—individuals who may also be vulnerable to deportation—leaving children in precarious situations and traumatizing both parents and children.
According to the recently deported parents interviewed by researchers, many reported symptoms of psychological trauma, including an inability to eat or sleep, physical pain and “acute emotional distress” with “uncontrollable crying and visible panic.” ICE agents, these parents say, frequently did not inquire if they had children or offer an opportunity to make arrangements for their care.
“They didn’t ask me anything,” said one 22-year-old mother of a two-year-old. “They didn’t talk to me, only to yell at me, to humiliate. They never said: ‘You have a daughter, you can bring her,’ because I would have brought [my daughter], she is highly attached to me.”
One mother was “dismissed” when she informed arresting officers about her three children at home while she was detained with three other children outside a hospital. Another father, after being arrested while leaving his three-year-old daughter with a babysitter, begged agents to allow him to inform the caretaker, but was thrown to the ground and prevented from speaking.
A mother whose husband had already been deported was forced to leave her four children alone until their grandmother could arrive from out-of-state.
Michele Heisler, a physician with PHR, told The Guardian that ICE’s failure to follow its own directives “is going to create a really high burden of mental health distress.” She added that the abandonment experienced by these children “is kind of imprinted.”
Despite numerous reports to the contrary, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly claimed that it does not separate children from their parents.
WRC and PHR have called on Congress to codify parental interest protections, including the right to reunification with their children before and after deportation. They also urge Congress to require ICE to coordinate with state child welfare agencies and for DHS to appoint a national coordinator on child welfare. They also state that DHS appropriations bills should prevent the use of funds for enforcement that violates family separation policies.
Democrats in the Senate have vowed to block funding for ICE and other DHS agencies until the Trump administration agrees to immigration enforcement reforms.
The report warns that family separations are likely to worsen as the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—which provided $170 billion for immigration enforcement—are “fully realized.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the report by WRC and PHR reveal?
The report revealed that many deported parents were forced to leave their children in the care of others, often in precarious situations, and that ICE agents frequently did not follow their own guidelines regarding parental care arrangements.
What did one 22-year-old mother say about her arrest?
The 22-year-old mother stated that ICE agents did not ask her if she had a child and did not offer her the opportunity to bring her two-year-old daughter with her.
What are WRC and PHR urging Congress to do?
WRC and PHR are urging Congress to codify parental interest protections, require ICE to coordinate with state child welfare agencies, and appoint a national coordinator on child welfare within DHS.
Given these findings, what role should the emotional and psychological well-being of children play in immigration enforcement policies?
