We Stopped Family Separation Once. We Must Stop This, Too | Opinion

In 2018, the initial Trump administration introduced a "Zero Tolerance" policy at the southern border, which separated immigrant children from their parents upon custody. This move sparked outrage and led to the reversal of the policy, but over 3,000 children had already been separated from their families, with some never reunited.

Now, in 2026, the second Trump administration is once again targeting children through its radical anti-immigration agenda. The administration recently ended a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, a nonprofit legal services provider, unless they disclosed sensitive information about their clients. With the contract's expiration, more than 20,000 migrant children are now without legal representation.

The administration has awarded a $150 million contract to a boutique commercial litigation firm, which has no experience in immigration law, to provide these services. This policy targets children directly, violating U.S. law that mandates humane treatment and swift transition to family or foster care. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, responsible for these children, is not an immigration enforcement agency but a child-welfare agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.

The administration's decision to impose additional barriers to releasing children to their families, requiring parents to resubmit forms and undergo background checks, has led to a significant increase in the time children spend in federal custody, from an average of 30 days in 2024 to over 200 days. This deliberate policy choice aims to make it harder for parents to secure the release of their children without legal action.

The administration's strategy mirrors its previous attempt to end legal services by halting federal funding, which was overturned by the courts. Now, the Trump administration is preventing lawyers from pushing for the release of children, ensuring they remain in federal custody and away from their families and loved ones for extended periods.

This continues a campaign by the Trump administration to deny children legal representation, all in pursuit of political gain. The response to the Zero Tolerance policy during President Trump's first term was swift and overwhelming, leading to its reversal. A similar outcry is needed against this new attempt to separate children from their families, as failing to do so will allow the Trump administration to continue abusing innocent children for political purposes.