Mark, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen in Maryland, received his high school diploma in May 2026 while his father Marco watched remotely from El Salvador, about 2,000 miles away. Marco was arrested by ICE in Maryland just before Christmas 2025 and deported in March despite 40 years in the country and owning a contracting business. As he prepared for graduation, Mark thought about how his father would have insisted on fixing his tie and adjusting his slacks. Mark struggled academically during his senior year following his father's deportation but completed his education. A Guardian investigation found that during the first seven months of the Trump administration, approximately 27,000 children—including 12,000 U.S. citizens—were separated from their parents through immigration enforcement.