Family separation 鈥� a timeline
Long before the Trump administration implemented its 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� immigration enforcement policy in 2018, it was already separating children from their parents as part of a 鈥溾�� conducted in the El Paso, Texas, area and along other parts of the border.
Under the El Paso program, begun in mid-2017, adults who crossed the border without permission 鈥� a misdemeanor for a first-time offender 鈥� were detained and criminally charged. No exceptions were made for parents arriving with young children. The children were taken from them, and parents were unable to track or reunite with their children because the government failed to create a system to facilitate reunification. By late 2017, the government was separating families along the length of the U.S.-Mexico border, including families arriving through official ports of entry.
On May 7, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) a 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� policy, dictating that all migrants who cross the border without permission, including those seeking asylum, be referred to the DOJ for prosecution. Undocumented asylum seekers were imprisoned, and any accompanying children under the age of 18 were handed over to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which shipped them miles away from their parents and scattered them among 100 Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters and other care arrangements across the country. Hundreds of these children, including infants and toddlers, were under the age of 5.
Prior to the Trump administration, families were generally paroled into the country to await their immigration cases or detained together.
The following is a timeline of family separation under former President Trump, beginning less than two months after he took office following a campaign in which he called Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals.
The timeline also includes family separations under President Joe Biden. When Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, he pledged to end family separations and his administration began to reunite some families. Nevertheless, families are still being separated through detention and deportation under the Biden administration.
Photo John Moore/Getty Images
March 3, 2017 鈥� The Trump administration is considering a proposal to begin separating children from their mothers at the border as a way to deter future migrants, . The policy would allow the government to keep parents in custody while they await asylum hearings or contest deportation.
Nov. 25, 2017听鈥� The听that the Trump administration has, since at least June, been separating children from parents who cross the border. The paper identifies 22 cases of parents whose children were taken without due process.
June 9, 2018听鈥� A man from Honduras who suffered a nervous breakdown after being separated from his wife and child at the border died by suicide in a Texas jail in May,听The Washington Post听. The government has no comment on the man鈥檚 death.听 听听听听听听听听
June 14, 2018听鈥� CNN听听that a Honduran woman was breastfeeding her daughter in detention in McAllen, Texas, when federal authorities snatched the child away from her. 鈥淭he government is essentially torturing people by doing this,鈥� says Natalia Cornelio, an attorney with the听. 听听听听听听听听听
June 15, 2018听鈥� For the first time, DHS听听that it separated nearly 2,000 children from their parents or legal guardians between April 19 and May 31. The government鈥檚 protocol for reunifying families has yet to be made clear. 听听听听听
June 17, 2018听鈥� Journalists and human rights advocates tour an old warehouse in McAllen, Texas, where hundreds of children are being kept in a series of cages made of metal fencing.听听that overhead lighting stays on around the clock, children are sleeping under 鈥渓arge foil sheets,鈥� older children are forced to change the diapers of toddlers and that children have no books or toys. One toddler is seen crying uncontrollably and pounding her fists on a mat. 鈥淚f a parent left a child in a cage with no supervision with other 5-year-olds, they鈥檇 be held accountable,鈥� says Michelle Bran茅, director of migrant rights at the听.听听听听
June 17, 2018听鈥� Former First Lady Laura Bush听听the administration鈥檚 practices 鈥渃ruel鈥� and 鈥渋mmoral鈥� in a commentary published by听The Washington Post.
June 17, 2018听鈥� Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen听听falsely: 鈥淲e do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.鈥�
June 18, 2018听鈥撎�ProPublica听publishes a now-viral audio听, where Central American children separated from their parents are heard sobbing in jail-like听, crying 鈥淢ami鈥� and 鈥淧apa鈥� over and over. Guards can be heard making jokes about the desperate children.听鈥淚 don鈥檛 want them to deport him,鈥� one child cries. 鈥淒addy!鈥� another screams.
June 20, 2018听鈥� Reacting to mounting public pressure, President Trump signs an听听directing DHS to stop separating families except in cases where there is concern that the parent represents a risk to the child.听听Congress, the courts and previous administrations for his family separation policy, claiming that now 鈥淸y]ou鈥檙e going to have a lot of happy people.鈥� CBS News听听that 2,342 children were separated at the border from more than 2,200 adults between May 5 to June 9.听听
June 26, 2018听鈥� Following a class action suit filed by the ACLU, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw issues a听听requiring U.S. immigration authorities to reunite most separated families within 30 days and to reunite children younger than 5 within two weeks. Judge Sabraw also prohibits further separations unless the parent poses a danger to the child or has a criminal history or communicable disease. 鈥淭he court made clear that potentially thousands of children鈥檚 lives are at stake, and that the Trump administration cannot simply ignore the devastation it has caused,鈥� says ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.听 听听听听听听听听听
July 3, 2018听鈥� NBC News听听that in the wake of Judge Sabraw鈥檚 injunction, the Trump administration is forcing migrants to choose between leaving the country with or without their kids, effectively preventing them from asking for asylum.听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
July 13, 2018听鈥� The Trump administration says in a court filing that 2,551 children between the ages of five and 17听听from their parents, almost a month after the 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� policy was revoked. 听
July 26, 2018听鈥� More than 900 parents听听with their children by the court鈥檚 deadline. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the reality of a policy that was in place that resulted in large numbers of families being separated without forethought as to reunification and keeping track of people,鈥� says Judge Sabraw. More than half of those parents 鈥� 463 鈥� have been deported to their home countries without their children. 听听听听听听听听听
Oct. 11, 2018听鈥� Helen, a 5-year-old girl from Honduras, was persuaded to sign away her rights after being separated from her grandmother,听The New Yorker听. 鈥淥ne of the things Helen鈥檚 story really showed us is that the Trump administration never stopped separating children from their families,鈥� says Jess Morales Rocketto, of听. 鈥淚n fact, they鈥檝e doubled down, but it鈥檚 even more insidious now, because they are doing it in the cover of night.鈥� 听听听听听听听听听听
Oct. 11, 2018听鈥� As the grueling process of reunifying families continues, Amnesty International publishes a听听that cites U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data indicating that 6,022 鈥渇amily units鈥� had been separated between April 19, 2018, and August 15, 2018 鈥� a much greater number than previously stated. 鈥淩ight now, hundreds of children are languishing in tent cities on the border,鈥� says Margaret Huang, executive director of听. 鈥淓ven more children are locked behind bars in family detention centers. This is nothing short of unconscionable.鈥� 听
Oct. 15, 2018听鈥� The government听听to a court that a total of 2,654 children have been separated from their parents, and of that number, 2,363 have been discharged from ORR custody. But 125 children made the tough decision to pursue asylum in the U.S. without their parent, while another 120 children who hadn鈥檛 waived reunification were still in ORR鈥檚 care, waiting to be reunited. 听听
Nov. 17, 2018听鈥� Families are still being separated at the border,听ProPublica听. As justification, Border Patrol agents are using vague or unproven allegations of suspected gang activity to separate parents from children.
Dec. 20, 2018听鈥� Appearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen once again听听the administration has no family separation policy. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a liar, we鈥檝e never had a policy for family separation,鈥� she says. If there were one, she adds, it 鈥渨ould mean that any family that I found at a port of entry I would separate, it would mean that every single family that I found illegally crossing, we would separate. We did none of those.鈥�
Jan. 17, 2019听鈥� The Department of Health and Human Services鈥� inspector general听that thousands more children than previously known may have been separated from their parents since 2017. The numbers began to increase in the summer of 2017, when DHS referred more and more separated children to ORR. The number of children separated is unknown because of the lack of a formal tracking system coordinated among the agencies involved.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听
Jan. 17,听 2019听鈥� The list of families to be reunified is 鈥渟till being revised鈥� nearly six months after reunification is ordered by a federal court,听The New York Times听.
Feb. 14, 2019听鈥� A听听by the Texas Civil Rights Project finds that as family separations continue, a significant number of children have been separated from relatives other than parents or legal guardians. Such separations are not counted by DHS in its statistics.
Feb. 27, 2019听鈥� The federal government received more than 4,500 complaints about the sexual abuse of immigrant children held in detention from October 2014 to July 2018,听. Of the 1,303 cases considered the gravest, 178 included accusations of sexual assault by adult staff members. Those allegations included rape, fondling, kissing and watching children shower. 听听听
March 8, 2019听鈥� A federal judge听听the ACLU鈥檚 class action lawsuit 鈥� which earlier resulted in a reunification order 鈥� to include families that had been separated months earlier than those previously disclosed.听听听 听听听
March 9, 2019听鈥� The Trump administration reports to a federal court that it has separated 245 children from their parents and other relatives since President Trump rescinded the family separation policy nearly nine months earlier. Government officials say they are following guidelines allowing separations when an adult poses a safety risk to the child. But听The New York Times听听that in some cases children were removed from parents who had minor previous offenses, including one for possessing a small amount of marijuana.
April 6, 2019听鈥� The government听听that it may take two years to identify potentially thousands of children who鈥檝e been separated from their families at the southern border.
May 8, 2019听鈥� The administration听听it has separated 389 families听since June 2018, when a court ordered it to end the policy. Advocates contend the number is significantly higher, noting that at least 40 separations occur daily along the California border, with others continuing in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. 听听听听听听听
May 18, 2019听鈥� The Trump administration acknowledges that it may have separated听before the 鈥渮ero tolerance policy鈥� went into effect in May 2018.听听
June 2, 2019听鈥� NBC News听听that in July 2018, some 37 children boarded a van for a 30-minute drive to the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, to be reunited with their parents. Some were as young as 5. But once there, they were forced to wait in the van, in the hot sun 鈥� some for as long as 39 hours. 听
June 20, 2019听鈥� The Associated Press ignites public outcry when it听听that at a facility near El Paso, roughly 250 infants, children and teens have been locked up for 27 days without adequate food, water or sanitation. Some were separated from adult caregivers after arriving at the border. At least 15 were suffering from the flu. 鈥淚n my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention, I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,鈥� says Holly Cooper, an attorney who represents the detained youth.
July 8, 2019听鈥撎齮hat the U.S. is now using databases from foreign police and militaries to find out if asylum seekers have gang affiliations. Attorneys representing asylum seekers along the border question how frequently the databases are used and whether they may be wrongly labeling migrants as criminals. The report points to a Salvadoran man named Carlos, who was separated from his family after immigration agents accused him of being in a gang. 鈥淚 told them I鈥檝e never been in a gang,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the agent said your government is saying you are.鈥澨�
July 12, 2019听鈥� The听听held a听听where witnesses described the trauma caused by the Trump administration鈥檚 family separation policy, and stated that the administration was not transparent regarding the purpose of the separations, and that the 鈥渘ightmare鈥� of separating families continues. What鈥檚 more, witnesses pointed out that the administration鈥檚 policies are continuing to cause problems at the border 鈥� not helping to resolve them.
July 15, 2019听鈥撎齮hat after a doctor told Border Patrol agents that a 3-year-old girl from Honduras who suffers a heart condition should remain in the U.S., an agent gave the family a choice: One parent could stay with the child, but the other would have to return to Mexico. The agent told the girl to choose. After the doctor appealed to another agent, the family was released together.
July 30, 2019听鈥� The ACLU听听in the U.S. District Court of San Diego, asking a federal judge to block the Trump administration from continuing to separate families at the border. Since the nationwide injunction was issued on June 26, 2018, more than 900 parents and children 鈥� not excluding babies 鈥� have been separated at the border. The ACLU听听that families have been separated for minor transgressions such as traffic offenses. 鈥淚t is shocking that the Trump administration continues to take babies from their parents,鈥� ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt says. 鈥淭he administration must not be allowed to circumvent the court order over infractions like minor traffic violations.鈥�
Aug. 21, 2019听鈥� DHS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announce听听that would end the听. The settlement is a consent decree in place for more than two decades that limits the length of time migrant children can be detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to 20 days, requires the government to comply with certain standards of care, and states that children must be placed in the 鈥渓east restrictive鈥� setting appropriate for their age and needs. The Trump administration鈥檚 rule would allow it to听听who crossed the border without authorization.
Aug. 22, 2019听鈥撎�The New York Times听听that 鈥渢here is a stench鈥� where detained migrant children are held in a Texas CBP facility. The children have not been able to bathe since crossing the border, and their clothes are soiled with snot and tears. Moreover, the children do not have access to soap, toothbrushes or toothpaste. A reporter described the facility鈥檚 conditions as 鈥渁 chaotic scene of sickness and filth.鈥� One attorney who has for years inspected government facilities that hold migrant children says, 鈥淪o many children are sick, they have the flu, and they鈥檙e not being properly treated.鈥�
September 2019听鈥� A听听issued by the HHS Office of Inspector General states that 鈥渋ntense trauma鈥� was common among children who had entered Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities in 2018, with children who had been 鈥渦nexpectedly separated from a parent鈥� facing additional trauma. The report highlights that children exhibited 鈥渇ear, feelings of abandonment and post-traumatic stress鈥� along with anxiety and loss resulting from the separations. Suffering from acute grief, the children would also cry inconsolably.听听
Sept. 5, 2019听鈥� Judge Sabraw听听to reunite 11 children with parents who were deported under its family separation policy. He says some migrants were pressured to consent to their deportation while they were separated from their children, and that immigration officials gave them false or confusing information. He orders the government to allow the migrants to return to the U.S. for an opportunity to pursue asylum claims.听听听听听听听听听听听
Sept. 27, 2019听鈥� U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California rejects the administration鈥檚 plan to end the听Flores听settlement.听ed that terminating the settlement would be 鈥渃ruel beyond imagination,鈥� citing the cases of at least听听children who died in detention.听听听听
Nov. 6, 2019听鈥� U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt听听the government to provide mental health screenings and treatment to separated parents, citing 鈥渆xtensive evidence鈥� of the 鈥渟ubstantial trauma鈥� that these families suffered due to the Trump administration鈥檚 policy.
Nov. 25, 2019听鈥� The DHS Office of Inspector General听s that the agency failed to properly track and reunify families during the family separation crisis, citing 鈥減oor data entry, data tracking, information sharing and IT systems capabilities.鈥澨�
Dec. 9, 2019听鈥� The U.S. government has separated more than 1,100 migrant families at the border since June 2018, when Trump issued an executive order to halt separations,听. The government鈥檚 own data suggests the number could be even higher, due to wildly inconsistent record keeping.
Dec. 16, 2019听鈥� The Trump administration knew migrant children would suffer from family separations but听,听The Texas Tribune听reports.
Jan. 10, 2020 鈥� The 人兽性交 sues the Trump administration on behalf of two immigrant parents and their children separated at the border. The lawsuit describes the deliberately cruel government actions that harmed these families. and law firms serve as co-counsel. 听听听听听
Jan. 13, 2020 鈥� After the ACLU in July 2019 filed its motion to stop family separations, Judge Sabraw new guidelines to further limit the government鈥檚 ability to separate migrant families, instead allowing immigration officials to use their discretion to decide whether to separate children from their parents in certain 鈥� mostly spurious 鈥� circumstances.
Jan. 18, 2020 鈥� The that the official government count of children separated from their parents or guardians under the family separation policy is 4,368. Meanwhile, attorneys say it still proves incredibly difficult to reach hundreds of parents of children separated from them. They also say that known flaws in government tracking systems mean that the total number of separated families is likely higher.听听听听听听
March 18, 2020 鈥� GAO issues a stating that arrests of families (parents or guardians traveling with children under 18) grew from about 22 percent of total southwest border apprehensions in fiscal year 2016 to about 51 percent of such apprehensions during the first two quarters of fiscal year 2019.
May 29, 2020 鈥� Yet another HHS Office of Inspector General revealing that CBP separated more asylum-seeking families at ports of entry than previously reported, and for reasons other than what had been outlined in public statements. CBP claimed it had only separated seven asylum-seeking parents from children between May 6, 2018, and July 9, 2018. But in reality, at least 60 asylum-seeking families were separated in May and June 2018, at 11 ports of entry.
Oct. 7, 2020 鈥� As migrants wait in Mexico under the 鈥淩emain in Mexico鈥� policy, that more than 300 children have crossed the border alone, despite arriving there with parents or relatives. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is willing to accept a historic low of 15,000 refugees in the coming fiscal year, compared with tens of thousands under previous administrations.
Oct. 21, 2020 鈥� In a federal court filing, lawyers with the ACLU and other groups suing the government say they have been of 545 children who were separated from their families at the border. About two-thirds of the parents seem to be in Central America, while their children are stuck in the U.S.
Oct. 29, 2020 鈥� The House Judiciary Committee the findings of a 21-month investigation into the Trump administration鈥檚 family separation policy. The听 report 鈥� 鈥� says the policy was 鈥渕arked by reckless incompetence and intentional cruelty.鈥� Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler and Immigration Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren say in a joint statement that the administration has been willing to go to 鈥渆xtreme lengths鈥� to stop migrants fleeing violence and seeking protection in the U.S.
Jan. 4, 2021 鈥撎�The Guardian that the family separation policy 鈥渃ontinued to wreak havoc and inflict suffering鈥� during the final months of the Trump presidency. Parents are still missing, reunifications are blocked and reunited families are struggling to rebuild their lives. Civil rights groups push for an immediate response from President-elect Joe Biden to reunify victims, grant families protection in the U.S. and provide restitution.
Feb. 2, 2021 鈥� Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden signs an establishing the Interagency Task Force on Reunification of Families to identify children separated from their families by the Trump administration and to facilitate their reunification.
June 2, 2021 鈥� In its , Biden鈥檚 reunification task force says it has identified 3,913 children who were separated under Trump鈥檚 zero tolerance policy and that 1,786 have been reunited with their families, most prior to the task force鈥檚 formation and in coordination with the ACLU, which is representing the families. That leaves 2,127 children who have not been reunited.
Oct. 28, 2021 鈥� Several media outlets report that the Biden administration is considering compensation of up to $450,000 for family members separated at the border, though President Biden听
Nov. 29, 2021 鈥� The reunification task force reports that 2,248 children are now known to have been reunited with their families in the U.S. and that it knows of 1,703 who have not been reunited. An additional 206 are in the process.
Dec. 16, 2021 鈥� Following outrage by Republican lawmakers, the Biden administration aimed at compensating families separated at the border. 鈥淚t would be an understatement to say we are disappointed that the Biden administration allowed politics to get in the way of helping the little children deliberately abused by our government,鈥� says the ACLU鈥檚 Lee Gelernt, who is leading litigation against the government. The Justice Department says it remains 鈥渃ommitted to engaging with the plaintiffs and to bringing justice to the victims of this abhorrent policy.鈥�
Jan. 19, 2022 鈥� The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) that the Biden administration is routinely separating families through detention and deportation as part of its interior immigration enforcement practices. People still forced to wait in Mexico for their immigration hearings in the U.S. are subject to kidnappings, assault and murder, and Haitian families, including young babies, face mass expulsions back to a destabilized country. NIJC also reports that the Biden administration has moved to dismiss claims brought by separated families seeking compensation for the harm the policy has caused.
