According to a new report published by the Brookings Institution, more than 145,000 US citizen children have suffered the detention of at least one of their parents since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. The study estimates that 146,635 minors have been directly impacted by the immigration policies applied during Trump's second term, while more than 22,000 children would have faced the detention of both parents with whom they lived.

The investigation warns that the federal government does not have a clear system to track what happens to minors after their parents are arrested by U.S. agents. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

According to the analysis, more than a third of affected children are under six years old. Another 36% are between six and 12 years old, while the rest correspond to adolescents between 13 and 17 years old.

The majority of the affected families are of Mexican origin. The report indicates that 53.7% of separated minors have at least one parent from Mexico. Guatemala and Honduras appear later, with 15% and 10.7%, respectively.

Concern grows over the fate of thousands of minors

The investigation arises amid a tightening of immigration policies promoted by the Trump administration, which has made mass detentions and deportations one of the central axes of its federal agenda.

Brookings estimates that nearly 400,000 immigrants have been booked into ICE detention centers since January 2025, while about 60,000 people currently remain in immigration custody.

However, experts and community organizations maintain that official figures do not reflect the true dimension of the impact on minors.

“The government is unaware of the existence of many children left behind,” warns the report, which also notes that many families avoid approaching the child protection system for fear of additional immigration consequences.

According to Brookings, only about 5% of affected children — approximately 1,100 minors — would have received support from the child welfare system. The majority would be living temporarily with family, close friends or, in some cases, they would have left the country with their deported parents.

The Trump administration rejected accusations of forced family separation. In statements cited by US media, ICE assured that it “does not separate families” and stated that detained parents can decide if they want to stay with their children or designate a caregiver.

The agency also promoted “voluntary self-deportation” programs, which include financial aid and free flights for undocumented immigrants who agree to leave the country.

Activists demand greater protection for citizen children

The report warns that millions of American minors continue to be at risk of facing similar situations. Brookings estimates that there are more than 4.6 million U.S. citizen children living with at least one parent who is undocumented or has irregular immigration status.

Of them, about 2.5 million could face the most extreme scenario: the detention of both parents.

The study also identifies Washington D.C. and Texas as the areas with the highest proportion of children affected by immigration arrests, with more than five minors per thousand facing the detention of one of their parents.

Civil organizations and immigrant advocates have asked the Department of Homeland Security to collect and publish more accurate data on the children of detained or deported immigrants.

For the authors of the analysis, the lack of information prevents us from measuring the human impact of current immigration policies and leaves thousands of minor US citizens in a situation of vulnerability and uncertainty.

“The well-being of these children cannot be considered optional,” the report concludes.