In August 2026, a boy named Diego was forced to represent himself in immigration court. “I don’t know how to do it,” he explained, referring to an asylum application that must be filled out in English. The judge told him, “I can’t help you.”
In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up its efforts to detain and deport immigrant children. Diego is one of tens of thousands of children across the country who no longer have funded legal representation after the administration ended a federal contract that provided attorneys for children who arrived in the United States without a parent or guardian.
As due process is torn away, enforcement efforts targeting children are escalating. Children are now being held in custody for an average of 6 months – even when family members are actively fighting to reunite with them. ICE data shows that deportations of children have tripled and immigration courts are issuing more than 10,000 deportation orders to minors every month.
This surge in removals is unfolding alongside a broader push to expand large-scale detention and adopt policies that prolong family separation and place kids at greater risk of harm. The Trump administration is preparing to build a massive facility capable of detaining up to 3,000 children, while also advancing policies that make it harder for undocumented parents to reunify with their children. At the same time, officials are implementing a policy that allows staff to conduct invasive and traumatic body searches of children while they are in custody, in violation of their privacy and bodily autonomy.
We know that the government should keep children safe and that families belong together. You can make a difference: Take action by using the tool above and urge your two Senators and one Representative to uphold children’s rights, promote their wellbeing, and conduct oversight of aggressive immigration enforcement.
EMAIL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Using the tool above, you can send an email to your federal elected officials.
Sample Email: My name is [insert your name] and as a constituent of [Representative/Senator] from [City/Town] and [a faith leader/refugee leader/community member], I urge your office to uphold vital protections and due process for unaccompanied children. Specifically, I urge you to:
- Defend every child’s right to due process. Cosponsor the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act (S. 1927/H.R. 9259) to provide universal legal representation for children. In ongoing appropriations negotiations, expand funding for adequate legal services and integration services like Home Studies and Post Release Services (HSPRS). Support guardrails to ensure all children have suitable counsel in immigration court and prevent funding from being co-opted by the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
- Stop the prolonged detention of unaccompanied children. The Trump administration has pursued a series of policies designed to detain children for longer in custody and make it much harder for them to reunify with their loved ones. I urge you to work to conduct oversight to ensure the administration is abiding by the legal requirement to ensure children are placed in “the least restrictive setting possible.”
- Ensure guardrails on immigration enforcement efforts targeting unaccompanied children and their families. Support legislation like the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (H.R. 1061 /S. 455) that would prevent enforcement in schools, and pass firewall language that prevents the sharing of sensitive information collected by welfare professionals in the Office of Refugee Resettlement with ICE for enforcement purposes.
Thank you for protecting children.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Call your federal elected officials using the tool above.
Sample Phone Script: My name is [your name], and I’m a constituent from [City/Town]. I’m calling as a [person of faith/refugee/member of community] to urge the member to protect unaccompanied children. I urge the member to:
- Cosponsor the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act and expand funding for legal services and integration supports like Home Studies and Post-Release Services;
- Conduct oversight to stop the prolonged detention of children, and make sure that they can reunify with their families as soon as possible as required by law; and
- Protect children and their families from immigration enforcement, including by cosponsoring the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act and preventing personal information from being shared with ICE.
Thank you for your time and for protecting children.
POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Share this message with your elected officials on social media using the tool above. See below for sample posts:
@[legislator] Children deserve safety, dignity, and due process. Please support the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act to guarantee an attorney supports them in court and advocate for their release to their loved ones. #LetKidsThrive
@[legislator] Unaccompanied children should never be held in prolonged detention. Please conduct oversight to ensure that children are reunited with their families, not separated.
@[legislator] No child should be left languishing in detention or forced to attend a court hearing alone. Protect kids and #KeepKidsSafe