Child-Family Separation and Pathways to Reunification in the Context of U.S. Immigration Enforcement
Child-Family Separation and Pathways to Reunification in the Context of U.S. Immigration Enforcement
Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues (July 13, 2026)
This report examines how family separation is occurring across the U.S., identifies gaps in government data that hinder reunification efforts, and offers child- and family-centered policy and practice recommendations for protecting family unity while enforcing immigration law.
Caregiving in Crisis
Suma Setty, Kaelin Rapport, and Emily Rodriguez, CLASP (April 16, 2026)
This report based on interviews with 67 early care and education providers across seven states details how federal immigration enforcement is destabilizing the workers and systems that support the nation’s youngest children.
What About My Children: Family Separation Among Parents Deported to Honduras
Women’s Refugee Commission (March 18, 2026)
This report finds ICE routinely violated its own family unity and medical care policies, deporting parents without allowing them to make arrangements for their children and failing to provide adequate care for pregnant and postpartum women.
“Los Padres Tienen Miedo” Early Educators Describe the Harmful Effects of Immigration Enforcement in Early Care Settings
National Association for the Education of Young Children (April 2026)
This data brief warns that the rollback of sensitive locations protections is endangering children, families, and early childhood educators—with nearly one in five programs reporting enrollment impacts and one in three seeing increased disruptions tied to immigration enforcement.
Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Child Care and Early Education Programs
Mikayla Slaydon & Hannah Matthews, CLASP (Updated June 17, 2026)
This fact sheet clarifies immigrant eligibility rules for child care subsidies and Head Start—relevant since one in four children under six has a foreign-born parent, and many eligible families avoid these programs out of fear or confusion about eligibility.
ORR’s Indefinite Detention of Unaccompanied Children Inflicts Trauma and Thwarts Due Process
Kids in Need of Defense (March 25, 2026)
This timeline and analysis document how the Trump administration’s rollbacks of ORR protections for unaccompanied children are driving indefinite detention, deepening trauma, and undermining due process.
Guía para madres y padres retornados a Honduras con hijos/as menores de 18 años en Estados Unidos
Kids in Need of Defense (March 17, 2026)
This guide outlines the essential steps for parents deciding whether to reunite with their children in Honduras or arrange care for them in the U.S. in their absence, along with resources for further help.
Quick Guide: Defending SIJS Clients in Removal Proceedings
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (June 2, 2026)
This updated practice advisory offers strategies for advocating against removal and preserving the record for appeal at every stage of an SIJS client’s case.
Considerations for unaccompanied immigrant children in the child welfare reform debate
Zayna Lyon, Kerri Evans, and Morgan Pardue-Kim, Families in Society (February 8, 2025)
This article examines how the debate over child welfare system abolition or reform has overlooked the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the unaccompanied immigrant children it serves, calling for greater data access and participatory research to inform policy and practice.
