An estimated 146,635 U.S. citizen children have experienced the detention of a parent during the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign since January 2025, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution.
Key Findings
Of these children, over 22,000 had all co-resident parents detained. Roughly 36% were under six years old. Nearly 54% of affected children have parents from Mexico, while parents from Guatemala and Honduras account for over 25%.
Washington DC and Texas have the highest rate, with more than five per 1,000 children affected.
Data Sources and Methodology
The report used demographic data from the Detention Data Project, matching detainee characteristics with similar undocumented individuals in the American Community Survey (ACS).
Researchers noted that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported 18,277 detainees with US citizen children in fiscal year 2025 but called this figure a substantial undercount.
A Guardian investigation in May 2025 found that the arrest of about 18,400 parents affected up to 32,000 children in the first seven months of 2025, including at least 12,000 US citizen children. The investigation reported that the Trump administration arrested about 2,300 parents and deported about 1,400 parents per month in 2025, nearly double the monthly deportation rate in 2024.
Context
Approximately 13 million adults in the US are undocumented or have limited legal protections. More than 4.6 million US citizen children live with at least one parent vulnerable to deportation, and about 2.5 million could face detention of all parents in their household.
Statements
A DHS spokesperson stated: "Being in detention is a choice. 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."
Brookings researchers recommended that DHS collect and publicly report accurate data on detained or deported parents and affected children.
Related Reports
In March 2025, a report by the Women's Refugee Commission and Physicians for Human Rights found that the Trump administration deported many immigrant parents without asking about their children or allowing them to decide if their children would accompany them.