The Trump administration is implementing measures to drastically accelerate immigration proceedings and deportations involving migrant children, driven by concerns over the escalating costs of housing them in federal facilities.
Rising Costs and Extended Stays
Recent data reveals that unaccompanied child migrants now spend an average of almost seven months in federal custody, a significant increase from approximately one month under the Biden administration in 2024. Daily shelter costs range from about $250 per child to as much as $775 in emergency situations, according to a 2021 estimate. In March, nearly 2,200 children were under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which operates shelters across 24 states. The surge in numbers has placed a substantial financial burden on the federal government.
Expedited Hearings and Legal Challenges
To address this, the Trump administration has moved up immigration hearings for some migrant children by weeks or even months. Unlike regular courts, immigration courts are largely controlled by the executive branch, granting the White House authority to schedule hearings at its discretion. According to lawyers speaking with CNN, children as young as four have been forced to appear repeatedly in court, often without legal counsel, and are expected to provide case updates. Emily Norman, regional director for the east coast at Kids in Need of Defense, told CNN that children sometimes wet their pants under the pressure.
Many of these children are in custody because their parents or guardians were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advocates argue that the rushed timeline risks wrongly deporting children back to countries they fled. Scott Basset, an attorney at the Children's Program at the American Center for Immigrant Rights, described the children as "confused, scared and frustrated."
Administration's Justification
President Donald Trump and his allies contend that focusing on minors is necessary because many arrived unaccompanied during the Biden administration. They claim thousands of these children are missing and need to be located, a assertion former Biden officials dispute as exaggerated. A White House official told the Daily Mail that intelligence from law enforcement agencies indicates "cartels are attempting to traffic children across the Southern Border, and in many cases these kids are kidnapped from their families in their home countries."
Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for HHS, stated that the agency is "focused on resolving cases involving unaccompanied children as quickly and efficiently as possible, consistent with the law." He added, "Many of these children are at risk of trafficking and exploitation... Moving cases forward helps disrupt those networks and ensures children are returned to safe environments as quickly as possible. Reducing time in custody also lowers taxpayer costs."
Criticism and Consequences
However, advocacy groups report that it has become increasingly difficult for children to be released to US-based relatives, with deportation now being pursued as a first resort. Attorneys say children are uncertain about their release or deportation prospects. Basset noted, "It's driving toward getting these kids out of the country. They feel the walls are closing in because they are."
Some children, unable to secure relief, are voluntarily returning to their home countries, according to CNN. Attorneys argue that children should instead be released to US-based sponsors, such as a parent, which was standard procedure previously. The Trump administration has introduced a stricter vetting process for potential sponsors through Operation Guardian Trace, which empowers immigration officers to arrest caregivers, leading many to refuse claiming children out of fear of deportation.
One avenue for immigration relief, the special immigrant juvenile process for abused or abandoned minors, typically takes months to obtain a green card, making it increasingly difficult under the expedited timeline.
