August 22, 2026
Officials claim to target the “worst of the worst.” But several agencies are now focusing on tracking and detaining children.
The Trump administration has characterized immigration enforcement as a public safety push to deport “the worst of the worst.” Yet, in recent months it has taken several actions that specifically target immigrant children.
The federal government expanded monitoring and tracking of unaccompanied minors. It has made it harder for lawyers to represent immigrant children, putting them at increased risk of deportation. And children continue to be held in detention centers and shelters for long stretches. To escape confinement, families with children sometimes leave the country even when they may have a legal claim to stay.