Deportation Practices Raise Concerns Over Family Separation
A recent report reveals that the Trump administration is deporting a substantial number of parents without verifying their parental status or allowing them to decide whether to bring their children with them, in apparent violation of existing policies.
In-depth interviews conducted with many parents who were forcibly returned to Honduras, along with input from medical and psychological professionals, government officials, and staff at deportee reception centers, highlighted a disturbing trend. Many parents were deported soon after their detention, leaving them with no opportunity to arrange care for their children.
The findings from the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) indicate that parents often have to relinquish their children to informal caregivers, such as friends and family members, who are also at risk of deportation. Some parents reported heart-wrenching separations from their young children and infants, including one case where a mother was deported with her two-month-old baby.
A 22-year-old Honduran mother shared her experience with researchers, stating, “Immigration officials didn’t ask me any questions. They never said, ‘You have a daughter, you can bring her.’ I would have brought her, and she’s very attached to me.” Such stories underline the lack of communication and consideration from immigration authorities regarding familial ties.
The emotional toll of these deportations is further compounded for pregnant and postpartum women arriving at Honduran reception centers, where staff have reported instances of extreme psychological distress, manifesting as anxiety and panic attacks.
Researcher Zain Lakhani, Director of Immigrant Rights and Justice at the WRC, emphasized the evidence uncovered during the study, stating that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents frequently neglect to inquire about detainees’ children at the time of arrests, failing to provide adequate measures for children’s safety or allow parents a say in their children’s care during deportation.
The researchers opted to conduct their interviews in Honduras, where access to detained immigrants in U.S. facilities has become increasingly restricted. Over a span of five days, their team was present at three reception centers in San Pedro Sula, encountering 163 women, including three clearly pregnant individuals, and 1,094 men.
Dr. Michele Heisler from PHR recounted conversations with parents who expressed their attempts to communicate their parental status to immigration officials, only to be disregarded. Many were detained one day and deported just days later, without the chance to consult legal counsel or arrange for their children’s care. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that such a sudden and traumatic separation for both parents and children creates an enormous burden of mental health distress,” Heisler noted.
The psychological impact on young children can be particularly severe, leaving them with feelings of abandonment and confusion. Research shows that early trauma can have long-lasting effects, both psychological and physiological. Heisler emphasized that the overwhelming level of distress experienced by these families is difficult to comprehend.
Additionally, some parents were separated from children with disabilities during their detention. One mother recounted how she was restrained while trying to drop off her autistic son at school, only to be handcuffed and taken away without being able to explain or say goodbye.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding the findings of the report. The agency has previously stated that it does not actively separate families and allows parents the choice not to take their children with them; however, prior reports contradict these claims.
Although the current report focuses on deportations to Honduras, Lakhani pointed out that similar challenges likely face deportees headed to other countries. The administration’s revisions to the Parental Detention Directive in July 2025 weakened protections for noncitizen parents, rolling back prior efforts to maintain family unity and disregarding the need for humane separation practices.
Once parents are deported, reuniting with their children can become a complex and often overwhelming process, made more difficult by the lack of formal procedures in Honduras to assist with parental claims. Deported parents frequently leave their children in the care of co-parents or family members who are also undocumented and face potential deportation themselves.
The report urges the Honduran government to bolster support for deportee reintegration and prioritize assistance for deported parents. It calls upon international organizations, particularly the United Nations, to collaborate with the Honduran government in providing essential health services and mental health care for deportees. Furthermore, it recommends that Congress legislate protections for families and expectant mothers within the immigration system, alongside the establishment of a national coordinator to oversee child welfare and family reunification efforts.
