Trump Revives Family Separations Amid Drive to Deport Millions: ‘A Tactic to Punish’
The Trump administration has revived family separations as a punitive tactic to coerce immigrants and asylum seekers into accepting self-deportation, often misclassifying children as unaccompanied minors to justify their removal to government shelters or foster care. RAICES has been at the forefront of documenting these abuses, with spokesperson Faisal Al-Juburi highlighting how the administration uses separation to punish those who exercise their constitutional due-process rights or seek legal counsel. Despite a 2019 court settlement intended to prevent such crises, ICE and CBP have allegedly bypassed legal safeguards, moving parents between detention centers without notice and leaving families in a "lawless limbo." RAICES continues to provide critical legal aid and advocacy, warning that these mass deportation strategies intentionally inflict psychological trauma and risk permanent family dissolution across the U.S.
