At least 32 children entered state foster care after parents detained or deported by ICE, officials in 7 states report
Feb 11, 2026

At least 32 children entered foster care over the past year after their parents were detained or deported by ICE, officials in seven states told NOTUS — including four toddlers ages 1 to 3 in Vermont who spent at least three months in state custody, 10 children in Kentucky, at least nine in Maryland, and four each in Idaho and Virginia. Advocates note this may be an undercount since no federal dataset tracks family separations caused by immigration enforcement, and some states, including California, do not collect this data at all. More than 71,000 people are in ICE detention.
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