Category

Family Separation

How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

By | Child Well-Being, Family Separation, Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Law & Policy, Trauma, Unaccompanied Minors

How the Administration’s Enforcement Policies Are Separating Families and Harming Unaccompanied Children

Kids in Need of Defense (January 13, 2026)

This policy brief documents how the Trump administration is using government agencies to separate families and remove thousands of children from the U.S., disregarding children’s rights and safety while deepening trauma and blocking reunification, and calls for urgent action to restore protections for family unity and children’s well-being.

The Trump Administration’s First 100 Days of Immigration Policy: Impacts to Immigrant Children and Families

By | CICW Publications, Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, Federal Policy, ICE, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Immigration Relief, Law & Policy, Legal/Law, New CICW Resources, Policy Briefs & Analyses, Social Work, Unaccompanied Minors

The Trump Administration’s First 100 Days of Immigration Policy: Impacts to Immigrant Children and Families

CICW Research Workgroup, Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative (August 2025)

This policy brief examines the impacts on immigrant children and families of the Trump administration’s immigration-related actions during his first 100 days in office, and proposes solutions to protect their health and wellbeing.

Anti-Child and Anti-Family: How the Trump Administration is Targeting the Most Vulnerable Among Us.

By | Family Separation, Federal Policy, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Law & Policy, Law/Policy Highlight, Legal/Law

Anti-Child and Anti-Family: How the Trump Administration is Targeting the Most Vulnerable Among Us.

Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (June 3, 2025)

This explainer details how the Trump administration’s policies prioritizing enforcement and family separation are harming children, particularly immigrant children, while governments are also reducing childhood protections and subjecting teens to adult consequences for political purposes.

Deportation Preparation Manual for Immigrant Families

By | Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, ICE, Immigration Enforcement, Practice, Practice Highlight, Youth & Families

Deportation Preparation Manual for Immigrant Families

Appleseed Network (July 2025)

This manual contains detailed information on issues like school safety, child custody, psychological issues for children, and much more in order for immigrant families to prepare for potential deportation. It’s available in both English and Spanish. There is also an accompanying webinar reviewing the manual.

Understanding the Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Separated from their Parents during the “Zero Tolerance” Policy in the US: A Systematic Review of the Literature

By | Child Well-Being, Family Separation, Immigrant Youth, Immigration Enforcement, Research, Research Highlight, Unaccompanied Minors, Unaccompanied Minors Research

Understanding the Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Separated from their Parents during the “Zero Tolerance” Policy in the US: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Kristina Lovato, Daniel Hieu Thuan Bui, & Michelle Zaragoza; Children & Youth Services Review (June 2025)

This systematic review highlights mental health and social service outcomes of children forcibly separated from their parents during and following the Zero Tolerance Policy and examines barriers and facilitators in accessing social services upon their release from US detention facilities.

Washington’s Family Separation Response Task Force

By | Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement, Practice, Social Work, Social Workers, State Policies

Washington’s Family Separation Response Task Force

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (n.d.)

This page reviews Washington’s Family Separation Response Task Force, created by Governor Ferguson’s in January 2025, which works to improve statewide policies and develop resources to protect children whose parents face immigration detention or deportation.

Central American and Mexican Mothers and Youth Migration-Related Separations and Reunifications

By | Family Separation, Immigrant Families Research, Immigrant Youth, Research, Research Highlight, Trauma

Central American and Mexican Mothers and Youth Migration-Related Separations and Reunifications

Jodi Berger Cardoso, Arlene Bjugstad, et al., Journal of Loss and Trauma (April 5, 2025)

This study explores the challenges faced by Mexican and Central American mothers and youth reunifying in the U.S. after migration-related separations, highlighting the ongoing trauma, ambiguous loss, migratory grief, and attachment disruptions that impact their relationships, while also noting mothers’ efforts to repair these bonds.

What will deportations mean for the child welfare system?

By | Child Welfare System Research, Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, Foster Care, Immigration Enforcement, Research

What will deportations mean for the child welfare system?

Matthew Lisiecki, Kevin Velasco, and Tara Watson; Brookings Institution (April 22, 2025)

This article explores the implications of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts on the millions of U.S. citizen children living with undocumented family members, and the state and local child welfare systems that may serve them. 

Detained or Deported: What About My Children?

By | Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, Highlighted Resources, Immigration Enforcement, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Workers, Youth & Families

Detained or Deported: What About My Children?

Women’s Refugee Commission (February 26, 2025)

This toolkit provides detained and deported parents with crucial information for protecting and maintaining parental rights and making decisions regarding the care of their children. It also provides practitioners and family members with information to ensure that family unity and children’s best interests are taken into consideration in immigration decisions.

Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation

By | Deportation, Detention, Family Separation, Highlighted Resources, ICE, Immigration Enforcement, Legal Professionals, Parental Interests Directive, Practice, Practice Highlight, Social Workers, Spanish Resources, Topics, Youth & Families

Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation

Women’s Refugee Commission (Updated )

These guides and reports provide information about family separation, safety planning, and child welfare for families facing detention and deportation. The documents provide tools for preventing family separation and resources for families caught between the immigration and child welfare systems. Available in English and Spanish.

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