Trump Administration Resumes Immigrant Family Detentions
The Trump administration has officially revived the detention of immigrant families in 2025, reopening major South Texas facilities in Karnes and Dilley to hold thousands of undocumented parents and children. This policy shift represents a significant immigration crackdown and a reversal of Biden-era practices, aiming to facilitate mass deportations while acting as a deterrent for illegal immigration. The advocacy group RAICES has been a primary critic and monitor of these developments, with its lawyers identifying numerous families—including asylum seekers and long-term U.S. residents—being held in these centers. RAICES has documented various human rights concerns at these sites, including widespread reports of medical neglect and the detention of children as young as one year old, while continuing to provide essential legal representation to those caught in the federal custody system.
