Brookings Reports 100,000+ Family Separations

A new analysis by the Brookings Institution, shared with The, indicates that over 100,000 children have been separated from their parents during the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions. Approximately three-quarters of these children, an estimated 75,000, are likely U.S. citizens. This figure significantly surpasses the 5,500 children separated under the 2018 "zero tolerance" policy at the southern border.

The Brookings report, based on a statistical analysis of the detainee population, suggests that official Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data undercounts the actual number of U.S.-born children affected. Researchers estimate that about 205,000 children have experienced parental detention, with approximately 145,000 being U.S. citizens. This contrasts with DHS figures, which reported the arrests of parents of about 60,000 U.S.-born children during the same period.

The discrepancy is attributed to potential inconsistencies in DHS data collection or detainees' reluctance to disclose information about their children. The researchers' most accurate estimate of 145,000 U.S.-citizen children with a detained parent is projected to increase, given recent congressional allocations of $45 billion to expand detention capacity. Most affected children remain with friends or family, with only a small fraction entering foster care.