A newly released investigation by ProPublica has exposed the Trump administration for arresting and detaining the parents of more than 11,000 children bearing U.S. citizenship within the first seven months of Trump’s second term. The data, obtained by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights as part of an ongoing public records lawsuit against the DHS, averages that more than 50 American children per day lose a parent to immigration detention. These are children whose own citizenship is now under threat from Trump’s Executive Order 14160, which was signed on inauguration day as one of his first acts as President, despite being a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. The order seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born to lawfully permanent or undocumented immigrant parents in the U.S.
Under Biden, approximately 30% of arrested parents of U.S. citizen children were deported. That number has climbed to nearly 60% under Trump, with mothers being disproportionately targeted at four times the previous rate. Furthermore, most detained parents have no criminal convictions in the United States beyond traffic or immigration-related offenses, if any at all. The administration’s policy shift is punctuated by their move to not only rename the Parental Interests Directive the Detained Parents Directive, but by also altering the directive’s original preamble which previously instructed agents to handle immigrant parents in a “humane” manner. The preamble has now been stripped of that operative word. In fact, a new line has been added. It specifies that the amended directive “in no way limits the ability of ICE personnel to make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis.”
Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments Challenging Trump’s Executive Order Concerning Birthright Citizenship Today, April 1st
Because children bearing U.S. citizenship cannot legally be detained or deported alongside their parents, they are frequently left with neighbors, church members, or the foster care system. Some families have sent U.S.-born children abroad to reunite with deported parents. Others have had that decision made for them by the courts. DHS maintains that “ICE does not separate families.” However, former ICE official Andrew Lorenzen-Strait says instances where immigrant parents of U.S. born children are spared from detainment and deportation are becoming “increasingly rare” and that “it may happen on a case-by-case basis because an officer in and of himself has humanity.”
Oral arguments defending the 14th Amendment and challenging Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship are now scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court today, April 1, 2026. If upheld, an estimated 150,000 children born each year could be rendered “deportable and stateless.”
Contact a Deportation Attorney Today
Although dealing with the possibility of deportation is both overwhelming and terrifying, we advise staying cooperative with local law enforcement and strongly encourage immigrants to proactively connect with trusted legal representation as early as possible.
If you have any questions about your legal rights or have any concerns regarding immigration status, detainment, or deportation, our team of experienced immigration attorneys is ready to give you any and all guidance you may need, advocate for you and fight on your behalf if necessary. We continuously monitor for latest news, pending legislation, and any changes to local or federal regulations that may impact immigration enforcement.
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