The practice involves the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families sharing sponsor information with ICE, leading to arrests of potential caregivers. At least 100 such detentions had been reported as of March, an NPR affiliate told the Tribune.
Advocates have accused ICE of using children as “bait” to arrest those who seek to care for them, the report stated. The detentions come as part of a broader immigration enforcement crackdown under the Trump administration, which has dramatically increased arrests and detentions of undocumented individuals nationwide, including nearly 33,000 arrests in the first 50 days of the second Trump term, according to an article on NaturalNews.com [1].
Policy Changes Under Trump Administration
The Trump administration implemented several changes to the vetting process for sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children, according to the Tribune report. Those changes include narrowing the list of acceptable identity documents, mandating DNA tests, and removing a rule that had prohibited the ORR from sharing sponsor information with ICE. The policy shift marks a significant departure from previous practices.
Bob Carey, who served as ORR director during the Obama administration, said the new information-sharing and arrests will have a "chilling effect" on families considering sponsorship. Carey's assessment, quoted by the Tribune, points to a reduction in the number of potential sponsors willing to come forward, leaving children in federal shelters for extended periods while their guardians are detained or deported. The administration has also sought to expand detention capacity, including plans to open a 528-bed holding facility in Louisiana for migrant families and unaccompanied children awaiting removal, as reported by 100PercentFedUp.com [2].
Specific Cases of Detained Relatives
The Tribune detailed specific cases illustrating the practice. A 32-year-old woman from Guatemala entered the United States in 2023 fleeing violence and poverty, the report said.
Two years later, her 13-year-old son attempted to join her and was placed in a federal shelter. When she began the vetting process to gain custody of her son, she was arrested by ICE, according to the report. The son has remained in a federal shelter for eight months.
Another immigrant mother told the Tribune she was arrested after coming forward to sponsor her daughter. She had followed the advice of a social worker who assured her nothing bad would happen.
These cases mirror patterns seen during earlier family-separation policies, where children were brought into ICE facilities designed for adults, as described in Jacob Soboroff's book "Separated: Inside an American Tragedy" [3]. The U.S. operates the world’s largest migrant detention system, holding over 42,000 people on any given day, according to Prerna Lal’s book "Unsung America" [4].
ICE Response and Justification
When approached by the Tribune, an ICE spokesperson blamed the previous Biden administration for allowing thousands of unaccompanied minors to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency provided more than a dozen examples of detained sponsors with criminal histories, including possession of child pornography, larceny, fraud, and homicide, according to the report.
ICE did not release the total number of detentions conducted under the new policy. The administration has significantly increased enforcement resources.
The Senate approved a $70 billion budget blueprint for immigration enforcement agencies in April [5]. Separately, ICE has expanded operations into more than 40 states and confirmed a major hiring surge [6]. The agency has also signed a one-year contract with a private security firm, MVM Inc., to locate migrant children released into communities [7].
Implications for Migrant Children and Families
Advocates have accused ICE of using children as "bait" to arrest potential caregivers, the Tribune reported. The practice may deter sponsors from coming forward, leading to longer stays in shelters for children.
Some children remain in federal custody while their parents are deported, according to the report. The chilling effect could increase the burden on an already strained shelter system.
More than 5,000 churches across the United States have declared themselves off-limits to ICE agents [8], reflecting a growing religious resistance to enforcement policies that separate families. The humanitarian consequences of these policies continue to unfold as the administration pursues its immigration crackdown.
References
- Ava Grace. "Trump's ICE delivers on border security: 33,000 illegal aliens arrested in just 50 days". NaturalNews.com. March 18, 2025.
- 100PercentFedUp.com. "ICE Building 528-Bed Deportation Hub Next to Louisiana Flight Line". July 6, 2026.
- Jacob Soboroff. "Separated: Inside an American Tragedy".
- Prerna Lal. "Unsung America".
- Garrison Vance. "Senate Approves $70 Billion Budget Blueprint for Immigration Enforcement Agencies". NaturalNews.com. April 24, 2026.
- Morgan S. Verity. "ICE Expands Operations Into More Than 40 States as Tom Homan Confirms Major Hiring Surge". NaturalNews.com. May 11, 2026.
- NaturalNews.com. "ICE hires firm accused of torture to track down migrant children". May 4, 2026.
- Jacob Thomas. "Over 5,000 Churches Declare Themselves ICE-Free Zones as Faith Leaders Challenge Trump Enforcement Policies". NaturalNews.com. May 16, 2026.
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