The Trump administration arrested the parents of at least 27,000 children during the first seven months of 2025, according to immigration records analyzed by The Guardian. The data shows 18,400 parents were detained between January and August, including 15,000 fathers and 3,000 mothers.

The arrests affected between 27,000 and 32,000 children, with at least 12,000 of those children being U.S. citizens. Nearly 7,500 fathers and 1,000 mothers who were arrested had different nationalities than at least one of their children, and in approximately half of these mixed-status families, siblings held different citizenships from each other.

The administration has been averaging about 2,300 parental arrests per month and deporting approximately 1,400 parents monthly. This represents a significant increase from the Biden administration, which deported about 700 parents per month in 2024.

The records were obtained through legal action, with The Guardian filing suit against the Department of Homeland Security to access "Record of Deportable/Inadmissible Alien" forms, known as I-213 forms. Immigration agents complete these forms for each arrest when alleging someone is in the country without authorization.

The separations have created logistical and humanitarian challenges. In one documented case, an asylum seeker from Haiti identified as LT was detained 1,500 miles from her 13-month-old daughter who had food allergies and required breastmilk. Despite the child's medical needs, authorities denied LT's release on bond and rejected a pediatrician's request to allow her to pump and mail breastmilk from the Dilley detention center in Texas to her baby in Florida.

Trump entered his second term promising "mass deportations" while stating he would target the "worst of the worst." The immigration enforcement data provides insight into the scope and impact of these policies on families during the administration's early months.