CWS warns that prolonged detention, deportation and loss of legal protections are making children less safe
WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT 12, 2026—As the Trump administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continue to tout efforts to rescue and safeguard trafficked children, its policies are putting those same children in harm’s way. On October 1, HHS released a report documenting vetting failures in sponsor evaluation that exposed some unaccompanied children to abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
Today, unaccompanied children face a new set of dangers: prolonged stays in government custody, diminished access to legal representation, and increased risk of deportation to places where they may face abuse, trafficking, or persecution. CWS stands with children and families, not with policies that prolong detention, separate loved ones, or deny children a meaningful opportunity to seek protection. Every child deserves rigorous safeguards, access to legal counsel, and the chance to reunite safely with family, rather than being failed by a system that prioritizes enforcement over child well-being.
CWS Senior Director of Children’s Services, Christine Lemonda, said: “Every child deserves to live in safety and dignity, and every administration has a responsibility to protect unaccompanied children from harm. Just as we have held previous administrations to account for policies that exposed children to danger and exploitation, we must call out current policies that leave vulnerable children languishing in inadequate custody often for more than six months; deny vulnerable children legal representation; subject children to aggressive enforcement and detention efforts; and, ultimately, separate families.”
CWS has served over 18,000 unaccompanied children in the past five years, observing firsthand that detaining children, separating them from their families, and denying them access to due process causes real and lasting harm. Today, the children CWS serves face unprecedented risks to their safety, well-being, and future.
Government data shows that because of recent policy changes that make it nearly impossible for sponsors to get their kids out of HHS care, children are now being held in custody for an average of over six months. According to ICE data, immigration courts are issuing more than 10,000 deportation orders to children every month.
Lemonda added, “In a troubling trend, enforcement policies are increasingly overshadowing policies designed to protect children and support their wellbeing. CWS has worked with families who complied in good faith with all sponsor vetting protocols, only to face deportation. In one case, a father spent months navigating every legal requirement to reunite with his son. The child was desperate to be with him, yet just two days before they were to be reunified, ICE detained the child’s father and deported him.”
Children who have already experienced violence, traumatic situations, and danger deserve policies that prioritize their well-being, not rhetoric used as cover to deport them to danger. CWS will not retreat from its longstanding, unwavering commitment to the safety of unaccompanied children, nor will we stop advocating for their well-being.
Take action to support CWS’s efforts to protect immigrant children and urge elected leaders to uphold their rights and reject policies that put them in danger. Visit CWSglobal.org to learn more about the current State of Play,