Immigration operations are harming young children and those who care for them. Two new reports from CLASP detail how immigration policies are undermining early care, and education programs, and causing trauma, uncertainty, and fear among children and immigrant families.
Based on interviews with 56 parents of young children and 67 early care providers across 7 states, the findings reveal profound threats to children’s development, caregivers’ mental health, and the stability of the early education industry.
Policymakers must protect all children and enact solutions to keep them safe. Read the full reports at the link in the bio.
CTAN is honored to collaborate with @littlejusticeleaders@nationalparentsunion and compassionate partners to share A Love Letter to Immigrant Parents.
This guide was created with immigrant parents in mind and shaped by the insight and experience of families impacted by immigration enforcement throughout the country.
The guide includes:
- Grounding exercises for immigrant parents
- Self-care and mental health reflection exercises and resources
- Guidance on supporting children’s mental health by age group
- Know Your Rights materials
- Community affirmations and advice from other parents
- Safety planning guidance
Please share widely to let immigrant parents know they are seen, heard, and cared for! Link for the full guide on our page!!!
Families are struggling to afford health care, groceries, gas, and utilities. Meanwhile, Republicans are pushing $70 billion into ICE and Border Patrol to terrorize, abuse, and imprison people across the country, including disabled people, members of their families, and caregivers. This bill hands them another blank check to expand harm in our communities.
Since Trump took office, at least 49 people have died in ICE custody because of neglect, abuse, and inhumane conditions. That’s one life lost every 10 days. Many more have suffered trauma, medical neglect, and denial of their rights and protections. It must stop.
On May 20, hundreds of immigrants, allies and working families affected by the cuts on SNAP, Medicaid and ACA are coming together in D.C. to say enough!
We need you there with us.: https://www.mobilize.us/cpda/event/940959/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=dredf
ASL will be provided.
@Indivisibleteam@fobaction@letkidsthrive
A new analysis from The Guardian finds that the federal government detained 18,400 parents of over 27,000 children in the first seven months of 2025, bringing significant and lasting harm to families across the country.
ICE must stop terrorizing our children and communities. We demand that policymakers protect children from the harms of detention, deportation, and separation. #ICEOUT
Children in immigrant families are being harmed by immigration enforcement tactics that should never be normalized. A new @propublica investigation found that at least 79 children across the country were exposed to tear gas or pepper spray during Trump’s deportation crackdown.
Kids were harmed while sitting in cars, inside their homes, and even walking to school. Tear gas and pepper spray are especially dangerous for children because their lungs and airways are smaller and more vulnerable.
No child should fear toxic chemicals drifting into their bedroom.
No child should associate bath time with escaping burning eyes and coughing fits.
No child should be treated as collateral damage because of immigration status.
Enough is enough. We demand that ICE stop terrorizing our children and communities. Read the article through the link in our stories.
@lindalopezston of @momsrising discusses the harmful impacts that immigration policies are having on children and families. She calls for policymakers to strive to make the U.S. “a country where childhood is not marked by fear!” Our children deserve a country that provides all children the opportunity to thrive!
Read the full op-ed in Spanish at: tinyurl.com/kidsday-oped
Children are being harmed by mass detention policies. @msrachelforlittles is using her platform to call it out, and urging others to do the same.
Because children belong at home, not in detention centers. #freeourchildren #closedilley #familiesbelongtogether
On April 23, CLASP held a Capitol Hill briefing on our newest reports, "Even the Playground Isn't Safe: How Immigration Policies are Harming Our Youngest Children" and "Caregiving in Crisis: How Immigration Policies are Undermining Early Care and Education Programs." Panelists including the reports' lead authors, Suma Setty and Kaelin Rapport; Wendy Cervantes, the director of CLASP's Immigration and Immigrant Families team; and a New Jersey early care provider spoke about the real-world impacts of the Trump Administration's punitive and aggressive immigration policies.
The reports have also attracted media attention, with mentions in MLive and The 74 Million; on WDET Detroit Public Radio; and as part of a discussion with Kaelin Rapport on Michigan Public Radio's Stateside Radio.
Read more about the project below:
/zero2eight/trumps-immigration-crackdown-is-harming-young-children-and-their-caregivers/
Kids should be navigating playground rules, not immigration law and policy. On El Día del Niño/Children’s Day, we celebrate every child’s right to safety, joy, and the ability to thrive. Right now unaccompanied children in government custody are suffering from immigration policies that separate families and threaten access to counsel. That’s why we’re pushing for #SafetyNotSeparation from their loved ones or attorney. Children who should be worrying about homework, snack time, and who gets the swing next are instead being asked to maneuver a legal system that even adults struggle to understand. While in government custody they have one steady guide whose only job is to protect and defend their rights — their lawyer.
That’s why this #DíaDelNiño, protecting the Unaccompanied Children’s Program and its high-quality face‑to‑face legal services is essential so kids can build trust, understand their rights, and stay safe. No child should have to navigate the immigration system alone.
🔗 Take action at Treatkidslikekids.org #TreatKidsLikeKids #ChildrensRights #EndFamilySeparation #FamiliesBelongTogether
For over a decade, ICE’s parental interest directive helped protect the rights of parents impacted by detention and deportation, ensuring they could make decisions about their children’s care.
That changed in July 2025, when the Trump administration replaced it with a weaker “detained parent directive,” undermining important protections for families.
Children deserve policies that keep families connected and protected. That’s why Congress must act. The HELP Separated Children Act would help safeguard children and reduce the harm caused by interior enforcement.
CLASP helped lead collaboration with members to educate and inform policymakers on the best path forward—one that makes good policy, protects children, and supports families, and not one that increases violence and a system that harms families.
Read more about this effort at the link in our bio and spread the word!
#ProtectChildren #ImmigrantFamilies #FamilyUnity #HELPSeparatedChildrenAct #ChildrensRights #ICE #CLASP
Children are carrying the weight of our cruel immigration policies in detention while waiting an average of ~200 days to reunite with their families. During that time, many are coping with PTSD, depression, and anxiety — all without a parent or loved one by their side. In these moments, having an attorney visit them to provide in‑person, trauma‑informed legal education and consultations shouldn’t be optional. Meeting with a lawyer face‑to‑face allows a child to build trust, understand what is happening to them, and share their story in a way that feels human and supported. You can’t build that kind of trust through a TV screen because, for a child alone in custody, presence is protection. Kids need #SafetyNotSeparation.
Learn how we can keep kids safe in our immigration system:
Treatkidslikekids.org
@immdef_lawcenter@amica.center@justiceactioncenter
No family should lose their sense of security or belonging for doing exactly what the government asks of them. Immigrant children are stuck in a system that is trying to deport them by any means possible. Our immigration policies must protect vulnerable kids and their families, not punish them for seeking to be together. Kids need #SafetyNotSeparation. That's where lawyers come in: they protect a child’s right to fair treatment under our laws and ensure that no child faces deportation without an attorney by their side. The legal advocates working under the Unaccompanied Children’s Program protect children who come to the United States to reunite with family members and sponsors with in-person, high-quality legal education and representation. These services are at risk. Help us protect kids: visit treatkidslikekids.org.
Watch this video to learn more about what’s happening to immigrant children today:
/watch?v=ChwpCuFjsow&t=3143s
