An analysis of US government records by The Guardian has revealed that the Trump administration arrested the parents of at least 27,000 children during the first seven months of 2025. The data, obtained through a freedom of information lawsuit, shows that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported about twice as many parents per month compared to 2024 under the Biden administration.
The records, from I-213 forms filled out by immigration agents, indicate that 18,400 parents—including 15,000 fathers and 3,000 mothers—were arrested. Among them, nearly 7,500 fathers and 1,000 mothers had a different nationality than at least one of their children, creating legal and logistical barriers to keeping families together. At least 12,000 of the children affected are US citizens.
Human rights advocates say the scale of family separation under the current administration far exceeds the 'zero tolerance' policy of the first Trump term. Faisal Al-Juburi of the legal aid non-profit Raíces described the situation as a 'metastasis of family separation,' warning of generational and transnational repercussions.
The case of LT, a Haitian asylum seeker, illustrates the human cost. Detained in Texas while her 13-month-old daughter was in Florida, she was denied requests to pump breastmilk or have her child brought into the detention centre. The DHS spokesperson said the agency could not verify the data, though The Guardian cross-checked it against other government sources.
