ProPublica reporters Mica Rosenberg, Mario Ariza, McKenzie Funk, Jeff Ernsthausen and Gabriel Sandoval teamed up to bring you a look into previously unreported data: Some 600 immigrant children have been placed in government shelters by Immigration and Customs Enforcement this year. Their reporting also shows that once children are in shelters, the government is making it harder and harder for relatives or sponsors to get them back. Here’s what else you need to know:
Kids in Custody: This year ICE has sent more immigrant children into the federal shelter system than in the previous four years combined. New data suggests families are being separated.
Florida Cooperation: The pipeline from traffic stops to federal shelters is evident in Florida, where thousands of state and local police are deputized to enforce federal immigration laws.
Stuck in the System: Under Trump, kids' average stay in federal custody is nearly six months — up from a month under Biden. Lengthy stays are leading some children to lose hope.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a written statement that the Biden administration released immigrant kids to sponsors too quickly and without proper vetting, sometimes into unsafe situations. “The Trump Administration is ensuring that unaccompanied minors do not fall victim to the same dangerous conditions,” Jackson said.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, speaking for ICE, said the agency “does not separate families” and instead offers parents the choice to have their children deported with them or to leave the children in the care of another safe adult, consistent with past practices.
