Trump’s immigration crackdown splits thousands of families
During his first term, President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy resulted in the separation of over 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border. Border crossings are at a historic low nearly a year into his second administration, while a new wave of immigration enforcement is causing divisions among families within the US. Federal officials, alongside their local law enforcement partners, are detaining tens of thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants. Detainees experience repeated relocations, followed by deportation, or endure substandard conditions for weeks or months before requesting to return home. In November, the federal government was detaining an average of over 66,000 individuals, marking the highest figure ever recorded. During the first Trump administration, families were forcibly separated at the border, and authorities faced challenges in locating children within a sprawling shelter system due to the lack of interconnected government computer systems. Currently, immigration authorities in the United States are arresting parents and separating them from their families during extended periods of detention. Alternatively, they opt for their children to stay in the US following the deportation of an adult, often after years or even decades of residence here. The Trump administration and its anti-immigration supporters regard this as “unprecedented success,” with Trump’s chief border adviser, Tom Homan, stating to reporters in April that they will continue their efforts, “full speed ahead.”
Three families affected by migration enforcement in recent months shared that their aspirations for improved, liberated lives have collided with Washington’s recent immigration policy, leaving them in a state of distress as they grapple with uncertainty about reuniting with their loved ones. For them, migration signified the potential onset of lasting separation between parents and children, a source of profound pain and uncertainty. In 2022, Antonio Laverde departed from Venezuela for the United States, crossing the border unlawfully before seeking asylum. He obtained a work permit and a driver’s license, subsequently working as an Uber driver in Miami. He shared accommodations with fellow immigrants to ensure he could send financial support to his relatives in Venezuela and Florida. Laverde’s wife, Jakelin Pasedo, along with their sons, made the journey from Venezuela to Miami in December 2024. Pasedo dedicated herself to caring for her sons while her husband worked to provide for the family. Pasedo and the children were granted refugee status; however, Laverde, 39, did not receive it. As he departed for work one early June morning, federal agents arrested him. Pasedo states it was a case of mistaken identity by agents searching for a suspect in their shared housing. Ultimately, she and her children, aged 3 and 5 at the time, recall the agents apprehending Laverde while armed. “They got sick with fever, crying for their father, asking for him,” Pasedo said. Laverde was detained at the Broward Transitional Center, located in Pompano Beach, Florida. In September, following three months of detention, he requested to return to Venezuela.
Pasedo, 39, however, has no intentions of returning. She expresses concern that she might face arrest or abduction due to her criticism of the socialist government and her affiliation with the political opposition. She is employed in office cleaning and, despite numerous challenges, maintains hope of reuniting with her husband in the US one day. Yaoska’s husband was a political activist in Nicaragua, a nation firmly under the control of autocratic married co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. She recalls her husband receiving death threats and enduring beatings from police when he declined to take part in a pro-government march. Yaoska spoke on the condition of anonymity and requested the same for her husband to safeguard him from the Nicaraguan government. The couple escaped Nicaragua for the United States in 2022, accompanied by their 10-year-old son, crossing the border and obtaining immigration parole. After settling in Miami, they sought asylum and welcomed a second son, who is now a US citizen. Yaoska is currently five months pregnant with her third child. In late August, Yaoska, 32, attended an appointment at the South Florida office of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her family was by her side. According to a court document, her husband, 35, was detained and did not pass his credible fear interview. Yaoska was released under 24-hour supervision via a GPS watch that she is unable to remove. Her husband was deported to Nicaragua following a three-month stay at the Krome Detention Center, the oldest immigration detention facility in the United States, which has a well-documented history of abuse. Yaoska now communicates family news with her husband via phone. “The children are struggling without their father,” she said. It is incredibly difficult to witness my children in this state. “They arrested him right in front of them,” Yaoska said, her voice trembling. They are frequently unwell and exhibit a lack of appetite. The youngest stirs in the night, calling out for him. “I’m afraid in Nicaragua,” she said. However, I feel fear here as well. Yaoska expressed, “My work authorization is valid until 2028, but the future is frightening and uncertain. I’ve applied to several job agencies, but nobody calls me back,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”
Edgar departed from Guatemala over twenty years ago. While working in construction, he began a family in South Florida with Amavilia, a fellow undocumented migrant from Guatemala. The arrival of their son brought them immense joy. “He was so happy with the baby he loved him,” said Amavilia, 31. He expressed his intention to witness him grow up and take his first steps. However, just a few days later, Edgar found himself detained due to a 2016 warrant for driving without a license in Homestead, the small agricultural city in South Florida where he resided. She and her husband chose not to disclose their last names due to concerns about potential repercussions from U.S. immigration officials. Amavilia anticipated his release within 48 hours. Edgar, who declined to be interviewed, was instead handed over to immigration officials and transferred to Krome. I found myself engulfed in despair. “I didn’t know what to do,” Amavilia said. I cannot go. On June 8, Edgar, 45, was deported to Guatemala. Following Edgar’s detention, Amavilia found herself unable to cover the $950 rent for the two-bedroom apartment she shares with another immigrant. During the initial three months, she obtained contributions from immigration advocates. Today, while breastfeeding and caring for two children, she rises at 3 a.m. to prepare lunches that she sells for $10 each. She strolls with her son in a stroller to escort her daughter to school, then dedicates her afternoons to selling homemade ice cream and chocolate-covered bananas door to door alongside her two children. Amavilia crossed the border in September 2023 and did not seek asylum or any form of legal status. She stated that her daughter experiences anxiety in the presence of police. She encourages her to maintain composure, wear a smile, and walk with assurance. “I’m afraid to go out, but I always go out entrusting myself to God,” she said. Each time I come back home, I experience a sense of happiness and gratitude.
