U.S. immigration authorities are preparing a new nationwide operation to arrest migrant families with children, according to three sources familiar with the plan. The crackdown targets adults and minor children who entered the country together and have existing deportation orders.
Once apprehended, families will be placed into detention before facing removal, the sources stated. The operation is part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy amid ongoing border concerns.
Additionally, a separate effort is underway to locate unaccompanied children who were released into the U.S. without court dates. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lawyers are working to obtain warrants to enter homes and arrest both families and unaccompanied minors, the sources added.
Spokespeople from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not responded to requests for comment.
Changing Immigration Policies
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, indicated that mass deportations would initially target migrants with criminal records. However, the new plans show that many families and children without criminal histories are also among those targeted.
The Trump administration is reportedly collaborating with private prison companies to reopen family detention centers closed under the Biden administration. CoreCivic, a private prison company, announced on Wednesday that it would reopen its family detention center in Dilley, Texas, with a capacity of up to 2,400 people.
History of Family Detention Policies
Efforts to deter families and unaccompanied minors from crossing the border date back to 2014 under the Obama administration. Both the Obama and first Trump administrations detained families at border facilities before releasing them with pending court dates.
In 2018, the first Trump administration introduced a controversial “zero-tolerance” policy that separated more than 5,000 children from their parents, sparking widespread condemnation. The policy was later reversed.
The Biden administration, which took office in 2021, implemented a program for expedited removal of families, requiring heads of households to wear ankle monitors until deportation. However, the program was costly and limited to certain cities, according to former ICE officials.
Legal Challenges
Under the Flores agreement, a longstanding federal court settlement, minors held with their parents cannot remain in ICE custody for more than 20 days. Former ICE officials suggest this restriction could make the new large-scale family detention plans more expensive and logistically challenging than deporting single adults.
As the immigration enforcement landscape continues to shift, the proposed operations raise significant humanitarian and legal concerns for migrant families across the country.
Keep up with immigration news with us on Que Onda Magazine.
