A new investigation has found that federal immigration authorities detained the parents of more than 11,000 U.S. citizen children in the first seven months of President Donald Trump’s second term, a pace that has left families scrambling and raised urgent questions about enforcement practices and their impact on American-born children.
The data, obtained through a public records lawsuit and analyzed by ProPublica, shows that authorities arrested and detained parents of U.S.-born children at more than double the rate seen under the previous administration, with an average of more than 50 children each day left with a parent taken into custody.
The findings come as immigration enforcement ramps up nationwide, with federal officials increasing detention capacity and expanding operations across the country. According to government data analyzed by NPR, the number of people held in immigration detention rose from about 37,000 to more than 72,000 within a year, with plans to expand capacity even further.
The ProPublica report details how the policy shift is playing out. In one case in Florida, a mother handed her 4-month-old baby to a pastor and his wife as law enforcement officers prepared to take her into custody. The child, born in the United States, could not accompany her parents into detention, leaving the family to rely on others for care.
“What else could we do?” the Florida pastor, who has taken in two children after their parents were detained, said.
Federal officials have defended the enforcement strategy. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ProPublica the agency “cannot verify the veracity of the data” and stated that “ICE does not separate families,” noting that parents may choose to take children with them when leaving the country or designate caregivers.
But former officials and advocates describe a marked shift in priorities. A directive that once instructed agents to treat detained parents in a humane manner has been revised, removing that language and focusing on enforcement goals, including targets of thousands of arrests per day.
The consequences have been especially severe for mothers. The detailed analysis found that mothers of U.S. citizen children are being deported at roughly four times the rate seen previously and are far less likely to be released once detained.
In many cases, the report found that parents had little or no criminal history beyond immigration or traffic-related offenses.
“They removed the word ‘humane’ from the directive that’s supposed to govern how agents treat detained parents. What does that tell you?” one social media user wrote in response to the ProPublica report.
Pushback Against Federal Plans for Maryland ICE Facility
The expansion of detention enforcement has triggered resistance across the country, including in the DMV region and surrounding areas.
In Maryland, a federal judge recently extended an order halting construction of a proposed ICE detention facility in Washington County, where officials say the center could hold up to 1,500 detainees.
“No administration is above the law. Our people must be heard when the federal government makes decisions that affect their health, their safety, and their communities,” said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in a Feb. 23 statement, announcing a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE for purchasing a warehouse near Williamsport, Maryland without input from the public, state leaders and requisite environmental review. “The State of Maryland is filing this lawsuit because DHS must be held to the same legal standard as every other federal agency.”
The U.S. District Court for Maryland issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRD) on March 11, pausing construction of the warehouse for a immigration detention facility until, and has since extended it to April 16.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown also challenged the project.
“The Trump administration will stop at nothing to pursue its extreme immigration agenda – including breaking the law,” said Brown in a March 19 statement. “DHS purchased this facility while keeping the state and the public in the dark, spending more than $100 million in federal taxpayer dollars without performing the required environmental review and without giving Maryland or Marylanders any voice in the process.”
The Maryland dispute reflects a wider national pattern. Communities across the political spectrum have pushed back against new detention sites, citing concerns about cost, infrastructure, and the scale of proposed facilities.
Federal data shows more than 220 detention sites are already in operation, with additional locations under consideration.
“We will not allow this administration to treat laws like suggestions and threaten our people or their communities,” Brown declared.