At least 32 children of immigrants entered foster care over the past year after their parents were detained or deported, according to data from officials in seven states compiled by NOTUS.
The figures highlight gaps in how family separations tied to immigration enforcement are tracked. Cases include four toddlers ages 1 to 3 in Vermont who each spent at least three months in state custody, according to the Vermont Department for Children and Families. Other reported cases include 10 children in Kansas, at least nine in Maryland, and four each in Idaho and Virginia, with additional cases identified in Kentucky, Minnesota and Oregon.
NOTUS reported that there is no comprehensive federal dataset showing how many children enter state custody after a parent is detained or deported. State reporting is inconsistent, with some states not tracking whether immigration enforcement is a factor and others withholding figures for privacy reasons.
The Administration for Children and Families began requiring a reporting field for such cases in 2022, but only about half of states used it in fiscal year 2024. Federal data shows 162 children entered foster care under that category between October 2023 and September 2024, a figure experts say is likely an undercount.
“It’s just really hard to understand without even knowing how many parents are being detained and separated from their children to then know what happens to their children afterwards,” said Shaina Simenas of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. She added that separations tied to interior enforcement are less visible than those seen at the border in earlier years but remain widespread.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated in October that more than 6 million children, most of them U.S. citizens, are at risk of separation from at least one parent without legal status.
Federal guidance directs immigration agents to allow parents to arrange care for children before detention, but outcomes vary. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: “ICE does NOT separate families. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates.”
Separate recent reporting has also documented conditions for children held with their parents in immigration detention. ProPublica published letters and drawings from children at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas describing prolonged confinement, missed school and limited medical care.
Originally published on Latin Times
