Despite legal limits on detention length, over 900 immigrant children were held in family detention for longer than 20 days as of January, with roughly 270 confined for more than twice that limit, in conditions advocates describe as traumatic and developmentally harmful.
Amid record deaths in ICE custody and intensifying enforcement, many immigrants are drafting wills and preparing for the worst as fear of raids, violent encounters, and detention spreads through immigrant communities across the country.
The Trump administration is deporting parents without asking about or making arrangements for their children, in violation of its own policies, leaving US citizen children without stable caregivers.
The detainee population at the Dilley family detention facility dropped dramatically from over 900 to around 100 following public pressure sparked by letters written by detained children.
Advocates in Illinois are trying to pass Ashley’s Bill, legislation that would allow abused, abandoned, or neglected children in federal custody to petition for the legal findings needed to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and a pathway to residency. Sign-on to support Ashley’s bill.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed a rule that could end rental assistance for mixed-status families, putting thousands of households at risk of eviction, separation, or homelessness. Submit a comment opposing the rule by April 21, 2026.
This report examines how the second Trump administration’s record-level immigration enforcement has led to widespread family separations, with parents frequently deported without the opportunity to arrange for their children’s care.
In Citizenship, Daisy Hernández braids memoir, history, and cultural criticism to challenge the myths surrounding American citizenship, drawing on her own family’s immigrant stories to illuminate the laws and customs we use to define who belongs, and who doesn’t.
A study of 240 immigrant families in New Mexico found that help-seeking attitudes and access to coordinated health and social services are key drivers of mental health service use, highlighting the need for culturally informed outreach and integrated care for immigrant families in the border region.
According to this Marshall Project analysis, the number of children held in ICE detention has surged more than sixfold under the second Trump administration, from an average of 25 children per day under Biden to around 170.
© 2026 CICW.