The Trump administration has almost completely stopped reuniting undocumented migrant children in federal custody with their parents and close relatives, according to new data and accounts from immigration lawyers and officials within the U.S. government. The slowdown has left thousands of children stuck in shelters for weeks or even months, despite many having already cleared all required checks for release.
The children affected are minors without legal immigration status, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. Many were arrested while crossing the U.S. border alone, while others were separated from their parents during immigration enforcement actions by U.S. authorities. After their arrest, the children were transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the federal agency responsible for their care. At present, about 2,400 migrant children remain in ORR custody across the United States.
Texas holds the largest number of these children, accounting for around 35 percent of the total. More than 800 minors are currently housed in 44 ORR shelters across the state. Most of the children traveled to the United States with the hope of joining their parents or close relatives, known as sponsors. Before release, ORR is required to vet these sponsors to confirm identity, relationship, and safety.
Earlier this year, the Administration for Children and Families, which oversees ORR, introduced stricter vetting rules for sponsors. These include fingerprinting all adults in a household and requiring DNA tests for sponsors claiming a family relationship. The agency said the measures were designed to better protect children from abuse or exploitation. However, immigration attorneys and ORR officials say the new rules have significantly slowed the reunification process.
According to internal ORR sources, leadership began issuing verbal instructions in early November ordering staff to stop releasing children to their sponsors, even when all vetting requirements had already been completed. These instructions were not put in writing but were reportedly shared directly with field officers responsible for approving releases. Several officials said many cases are fully ready for reunification but remain frozen with no explanation.
Data obtained by journalists shows that during October, ORR released an average of four children per day to sponsors, totaling just over 100 releases for the month. Since early November, however, only four children have been released in total. The reason those few children were allowed to leave remains unclear, and officials have not explained why others remain in custody.
The Administration for Children and Families insists there is no formal pause on reunifications, stating that each case is reviewed individually and that releases occur when all safety standards are met. Despite this, multiple ORR officials and immigration lawyers across major U.S. cities report that sponsor releases have nearly stopped altogether.
Child welfare advocates warn that prolonged detention is having a serious impact on children’s mental health. Lawyers working directly with the minors say many are experiencing anxiety, sleep problems, emotional distress, and confusion about their future. Experts argue that keeping children in government shelters for long periods causes more harm than allowing them to reunite with their families.
Advocates also note that such a near-total halt in reunifications is unprecedented. Even during previous periods of strict immigration enforcement, children continued to be released gradually once vetting was completed. Now, many minors who would normally spend only a few weeks in custody are remaining there for several months.
In response, immigration attorneys are preparing legal action, including habeas corpus petitions, to challenge the continued detention of children who have no legal reason to remain in custody. Some lawyers say this type of legal intervention was rarely needed in the past but has now become one of the only options available.
The delays are also pushing some children to give up on reunification entirely. Lawyers report that an increasing number of minors are choosing to leave the United States voluntarily rather than wait indefinitely in shelters. Advocates describe ORR facilities as becoming “pressure cookers,” where uncertainty and fear are driving children to make life-altering decisions.
During a recent legal visit to a shelter, one teenage girl reportedly asked a question that now echoes across many facilities: “Why do they keep doing this to us?”