Trump Administration Plans Return to Family Detention as Immigration Crackdown Looms

 

With President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policies are on the horizon. Incoming White House “border czar” Tom Homan has revealed plans to reintroduce family detention centers, a controversial practice ended by President Joe Biden in 2021. This move signals a shift back to hardline immigration enforcement, echoing the policies of Trump’s first term.

Family Detention Facilities to Reopen

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will establish “soft-sided” tent structures to detain families with children. According to Homan, parents found to be in the country illegally may face deportation, even if they have U.S.-born children. Families will be left with the difficult choice of staying together and leaving the country or being separated.

“You knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child. So you put your family in that position,” Homan said during a recent interview, defending the administration’s approach.

The Biden administration had closed ICE’s family detention centers, which offered 3,000 beds in dorm-like facilities with recreational and educational programs. Critics argued that detention was harmful to children, with a federal judge limiting the detention of minors to 20 days. Homan acknowledged that ICE will need to build new facilities and adapt its processes to meet these legal constraints.

Deportation and Enforcement Plans

Homan, who spearheaded Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy leading to the separation of over 4,000 children from their families, emphasized that the new enforcement campaign will prioritize deporting families together. However, U.S.-born children of undocumented parents cannot be deported, leaving families to decide whether to remain together or split up.

To support these efforts, the Trump administration plans to mobilize National Guard troops for logistical support, though immigration arrests will remain the purview of trained law enforcement. Homan insists the campaign will focus on individuals with criminal records and avoid indiscriminate sweeps.

Addressing “Missing” Migrant Children

Homan also aims to locate over 300,000 unaccompanied minors described by Trump allies as “missing.” While legal experts argue that this characterization is exaggerated, Homan expressed concern about potential risks, including forced labor and human trafficking. He has proposed mobilizing nonprofit groups and private contractors for a more robust oversight system, though funding sources remain unclear.

“Some of these children will be in forced labor, and some will be in the sex trade,” Homan said. “Some will be perfectly fine. We just want to make sure.”

Reviving Trump-Era Policies

The Trump administration also plans to reinstate worksite raids, the “Remain in Mexico” program, and other enforcement measures. The “Remain in Mexico” policy required asylum seekers to wait outside U.S. borders while their claims were processed, a practice Biden ended in 2021.

Homan criticized the Biden administration’s expansion of “lawful pathways” for migrants, which he believes have been exploited by traffickers. He singled out the CBP One mobile app, used to facilitate humanitarian claims, as a tool enabling fraudulent applications. Despite concerns about rising illegal crossings if legal entry programs are curtailed, Homan expressed confidence that strict enforcement will act as a deterrent.

“At the beginning, we may see numbers coming up when we shut these programs down,” he said. “But once the message is clear that we’re ending catch-and-release, the numbers will reduce.”

Public Backlash and Challenges Ahead

Immigration advocates and legal experts have condemned the administration’s proposed policies, warning of the psychological harm to children and the long-term impact on families. Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the ACLU, criticized the incoming administration’s “old playbook” and questioned public support for such measures.

“The public may have voted in the abstract for mass deportations, but I don’t think they voted for more family separation or unnecessary cruelty to children,” Gelernt said.

As the Trump administration prepares to reimplement its hardline immigration agenda, the stage is set for contentious debates and potential legal challenges. With the nation deeply divided on immigration, the next chapter of U.S. policy promises to be as polarizing as ever.