AP Investigation Finds Migrant Families Re-Separated Under Trump Immigration Crackdown

Washington— The Trump administration has separated dozens of migrant children from their parents for a second time despite legal protections established after the controversial 2018 family separation policy, according to an Associated Press investigation.

The report found that some parents covered by a 2023 court settlement were detained or deported during the administration’s expanded immigration enforcement campaign, resulting in renewed family separations. Attorneys representing affected families said several deportations occurred despite legal safeguards intended to prevent such actions.

One case involved 11-year-old Ederson Galicia Alva, who was separated from his mother at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018 and later reunited. In 2025, his mother was detained and deported to Guatemala, forcing the family to leave the United States before a federal judge ordered their return last month.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which led the lawsuit that ended the original family separation policy, said the renewed separations have caused further trauma to children and families already affected by earlier government actions.

The Department of Homeland Security said it complies with court orders and defended its immigration enforcement efforts, arguing that deportations and detentions are carried out under existing law.

The findings highlight renewed legal and political scrutiny of the administration’s immigration policies as federal authorities pursue large-scale deportation operations across the country.