Since the start of the Trump administration, immigration enforcement has swept up more than 170 U.S. citizens, including nearly 20 children—two of whom are battling cancer—according to a new analysis highlighted by ProPublica. While the federal government does not officially track these numbers, investigative reporting and civil rights groups have pieced together a troubling pattern: American citizens, often children in mixed-status families, have been detained or deported alongside their undocumented relatives, sometimes under harrowing circumstances.
One of the most distressing cases unfolded in February 2025. A 10-year-old girl, undergoing treatment for brain cancer, was traveling with her family to Houston, where her specialist doctors are based. The family, which includes four American siblings and two undocumented parents, was stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Texas. Previously, letters from doctors and lawyers had allowed them to pass through such checkpoints without incident. But this time, immigration officers refused to let them continue.
According to NBC News, the family was temporarily split up in the U.S. detention system. The sick young girl was forced to lie on a cold floor beneath harsh incandescent lights as she awaited deportation. Her mother described the ordeal as traumatizing: “The fear is horrible. I almost can’t explain it, but it’s something frustrating, very tough, something you wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she told the broadcaster.
Despite public outcry, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol declined to discuss the specifics of the case, citing privacy concerns. The agency insisted that descriptions of the incident were “inaccurate” and maintained that those given expedited removal orders “will face the consequences.”
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. In late April 2025, another mixed-status family—this one including an ill American child—was removed from the country. On April 25, the New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office deported at least two families and their minor children. Among them were three U.S. citizen children, aged two, four, and seven, according to the Louisiana ACLU. The families had been arrested less than a week earlier and, according to civil rights groups, were held “incommunicado” from family members and legal counsel on the outside.
One of the most alarming details involved a four-year-old U.S. citizen suffering from a rare metastatic kidney cancer. Despite ICE being notified of the child’s medical needs, the child was deported without medication or the opportunity to consult with doctors. The Louisiana ACLU documented these events and raised concerns about the lack of medical care and due process.
In August 2025, the affected families filed a lawsuit against ICE, alleging that the agency failed to follow its own procedures. The suit claims that the families were denied due process and kept at undisclosed locations before being removed from the country, preventing parents from securing adequate care for their children in the United States. Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, an attorney representing one of the families, told The Louisiana Illuminator, “ICE has a policy for what they’re supposed to do in these instances, and they most certainly did not follow that policy.”
The government has yet to respond to the lawsuit, which was temporarily delayed by a government shutdown. In April, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that both mothers involved had final orders of deportation and had voluntarily chosen to bring their children back to Honduras. However, the agency has continued to dispute reporting about the impact of immigration raids on U.S. citizens, dismissing much of the coverage as “fake news.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on October 16, 2025, DHS wrote, “We have said it a million times: DHS enforcement operations are HIGHLY TARGETED and are not resulting in the arrest of U.S. citizens. We do our due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.”
Yet, the facts uncovered by ProPublica and corroborated by civil rights groups paint a more complicated picture. The government’s own policies allow immigration officials to detain U.S. citizens if they initially have reason to suspect the person is in the country illegally, or if the individual is accused of assaulting officers or interfering with enforcement operations. These legal loopholes, critics say, have led to the detention and removal of American citizens, including children with serious medical conditions.
The emotional and logistical consequences for these families have been severe. Being held incommunicado, as reported by the Louisiana ACLU, meant that parents had little to no ability to advocate for their children’s health or legal rights. The sudden removal of children from access to U.S. medical care, especially for those with life-threatening illnesses, has drawn sharp criticism from medical professionals and human rights advocates alike.
Supporters of the administration’s immigration policies argue that enforcement actions are necessary to uphold the rule of law and that mistakes, while regrettable, are rare. They point to statements from DHS emphasizing the targeted nature of operations and the procedural safeguards in place. Still, immigrant rights groups and legal advocates counter that the system’s flaws are not mere anomalies but evidence of deeper systemic issues. The lack of transparency and accountability, they argue, leaves vulnerable children and families at risk.
For families caught in the crosshairs, the ordeal is nothing short of devastating. The mother of the 10-year-old cancer patient recounted the terror and helplessness of being separated from her children and denied the ability to provide comfort or care. Legal advocates like Stephanie Alvarez-Jones insist that ICE’s failure to follow its own policies has had real, life-altering consequences for American children.
As the lawsuit against ICE moves forward—delayed but not forgotten—questions remain about how many more U.S. citizens may be caught up in future immigration sweeps. The administration’s insistence on the accuracy and fairness of its enforcement operations stands in stark contrast to the lived experiences of families and the findings of investigative journalists and civil rights groups. Only time will tell whether these cases prompt meaningful change or become another chapter in the contentious debate over immigration policy in America.
For now, the stories of these families serve as a sobering reminder of the human cost behind statistics, policies, and political rhetoric.
