WASHINGTON, DC — On Friday, CNN revealed that the Trump administration has directed federal law enforcement to begin interrogating unaccompanied immigrant children inside government-run shelters—spaces that are meant to provide safety and care. This marks a dramatic shift from long-standing practice, which reserved law enforcement involvement for rare, specific cases and kept agents out of shelters to protect children’s privacy and well-being. Instead, the new policy invites intimidation and fear directly into children’s temporary living spaces, undermining their recovery and placing them at greater risk of retraumatization, coercion, and harm. Put plainly: this new intimidation tactic is an attack on kids.
In response, the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and ACACIA Center for Justice released the following statements:
“This is not about protecting children,” said Gladis Molina Alt, Executive Director at the Young Center. “When federal law enforcement questions children in government custody without a parent, guardian, or trusted advocate present, it undermines their safety, their trust, and their ability to speak freely. The issue is a system that views these vulnerable children through a lens of suspicion and enforcement, rather than compassion and a commitment to their well-being. We are deeply concerned that DHS will use information children disclose to identify, arrest, and deport their family members. Children deserve care, not interrogation. Our vision is simple: a country where children who arrive alone are met with safety and kindness. Where their voices are heard without fear. And where our policies reflect our shared humanity.”
“Children in federal immigration custody are facing far longer lengths of stay in restrictive and developmentally inappropriate institutional settings than they did only several months ago. The impact of long stays in detention on children’s mental health, physical health and wellbeing has been documented by experts in children’s health,” said Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice. “The despair and hopelessness children experience will be exacerbated if they are subjected to interrogations by law enforcement personnel with no training in child-centered engagement and will add to the sense of uncertainty, toxic stress, and may cause lasting trauma among vulnerable children. Particularly in coercive custodial settings, it is imperative that children be advised of their right to counsel and have independent counsel or a child advocate present when they are obliged to speak with a law enforcement official to safeguard their wellbeing and uphold their 5th and 6th amendment Constitutional rights.”