The Trump administration has restarted the practice of detaining migrant families with children. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now holding parents and children in detention facilities. CBS News reported that ICE detained the first group of migrant families on Thursday. This group includes three children, according to an internal government report. The move is part of the administration’s larger plan to carry out mass deportations, which President Trump has described as the biggest in U.S. history.
Government officials confirm that family detention is now in lace
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed that authorities have issued deportation orders for the detained migrants. She also stated that officials are refitting two detention centers in Texas to hold families who are in the U.S. illegally. Workers are preparing these centers to house parents and their children. The administration claims it is enforcing immigration laws and will not ignore the rule of law.
One of the detention facilities is located in Karnes City, Texas, which is a small town east of San Antonio. The other is in Dilley, Texas, south of San Antonio. During the Biden administration, these detention centers were used to hold migrant adults. Now, the Trump administration is using them again for family detention. This marks a significant change in immigration policy.
Biden Administration had previously stopped family detention centers
The Trump administration’s decision reverses a policy change made under President Biden. The Biden administration had ended long-term detention of migrant families. The practice of detaining families on a large scale was first used during the Obama administration. At the time, it was meant to discourage families from attempting to cross the southern border illegally. Now, Trump officials have brought the policy back.
Child welfare experts warns
Many advocates and child welfare experts have spoken out against family detention. They argue that it harms children both physically and emotionally. In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security released a report that called for officials to phase out family detention. Experts say that keeping children in detention centers can lead to trauma and psychological issues. Attorney Neha Desai from the National Center of Youth Law has called the practice inhumane and unnecessary.
The U.S. government has faced many legal challenges when detaining migrant families. In 2015, a federal judge ruled that authorities should not hold migrant children in detention for more than 20 days. This decision made it difficult for the government to detain families long-term. Now, with the Trump administration reviving the practice, new legal battles may arise.
Trump expands immigration enforcement and calls for more deportations
The return of family detention is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to increase immigration enforcement. Officials have been pushing ICE to ramp up arrests and deportations of migrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Unlike the administration’s efforts to secure the border, which have led to fewer illegal crossings, enforcing immigration laws inside the country has been more complicated.
ICE detention centers are struggling with overcrowding. As of Thursday, the detention system was at 120% capacity. More than 46,000 migrants were being held, even though the system only has 38,000 beds. This overcrowding is creating operational challenges for immigration officials. The return of family detention may add even more strain to an already overwhelmed system.
