Two weeks ago, WRC and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) published a report that provides the first evidence-based analysis of how family separation in the new Trump administration is occurring. Based on firsthand interviews with deported parents and the service providers who assist them upon arrival in Honduras, the report documents clear violations of US immigration policy. It vividly illustrates how ICE’s failures to follow its own guidelines is creating a new family separation crisis and irreparably harming pregnant and postpartum women.
What we learned was devastating. We spoke with mothers who had been separated from infants, a father who was beaten while begging to call a babysitter to stay with his child, and parents who were arrested outside of hospitals or dropping their children off at school. Many of them were given no opportunity to bring their children with them when they were deported. All of them were traumatized, frightened about what would come next, and unsure of how they would be able to be with their children or make arrangements to keep them safe.
In the weeks since we published the report, substantial numbers of national and international press outlets—from the Guardian to MSNOW—have expressed interest in its findings, demonstrating how vital this work is to supporting immigrant communities and ensuring parents can stay with their children. This week, WRC’s Director of Migrant Rights and Justice and one of the report’s authors, Zain Lakhani, appeared on well-known immigration researcher and journalist Austin Kocher’s Substack for a live interview, in which she offered an overview of the report’s findings and significance, as well as what needs to happen to mitigate this rapidly unfolding crisis. More than 11,000 subscribers have access to this coverage. You can watch it here.
As we have noted in many previous blog posts, the Trump administration has tried over the past year to turn detention and deportation into a black box, in which harms to women and families can happen with impunity. At WRC, we are constantly pursuing innovative ways to ensure this does not happen; that we can shine a light on abuses and advocate for concrete solutions that protect immigrant women and keep families together. We ask you to join us in sharing this report and the news coverage of it with your networks, to help us raise awareness about the egregious harms being perpetrated against migrant women, children, and families—and to help us advocate for measures that will protect their lives, rights, and dignity.