Revealed: The Trump administration arrested the parents of at least 27,000 kids in seven months, ICE records show

The Guardian analyzed government data from January-August 2025, as advocates say the family-separation crisis will lead to generational traumaAfter three months in immigration detention, 1,500 miles (2,400km) away from her 13-month-old daughter, LT was running out of options.Her baby, who was allergic to formula and had other food sensitivities, had been vomiting constantly and needed breastmilk. But the government refused to release LT – an asylum seeker from Haiti – on bond. So, the family’s pediatrician petitioned the government to allow her to pump and mail her breastmilk from the Dilley detention center in Texas to her baby in Florida. That request was denied.During the first seven months of 2025, the administration arrested 18,400 parents – including 15,000 fathers and 3,000 mothers. They are the parents of 27,000 to 32,000 children.The administration arrested the parents of at least 12,000 US citizen children.Nearly 7,500 fathers and 1,000 mothers who were arrested had a different nationality than at least one of their children. In about half of these families, siblings had different citizenships from each other.On average, the Trump administration has been arresting about 2,300 parents each month and deporting 1,400 parents every month. The , in comparison, deported about 700 per month in 2024.