145,000 US citizen children separated from detained immigrant parents under Trump
May 23, 2026

A Brookings Institution report estimates that more than 145,000 US citizen children have had at least one parent detained since the start of Trump's second administration, with over 22,000 experiencing detention of all co-resident parents. The mass deportation campaign, heavily influenced by immigration czar Stephen Miller, has accelerated family separations at a faster rate than the Biden administration. ICE arrests of parents have doubled in the first seven months of Trump's second term, with mothers being targeted at four times the rate of the Biden era.
Sources
- Stephen Miller delivers for Trump: 145,000 US kids separated from their parents
The Guardian·May 23, 2026·archived copy
- The Hill
- The administration has detained 400,000 immigrants: What do we know about their children?
- Study Finds 145,000 US Children Lost Parents to Immigration Detention
- Over 145,000 US citizen children separated from detained parents under Trump
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