Trump admin has all but stopped reuniting detained migrant children with their families; keeps them locked up even when families are vetted

The Administration for Children and Families, which oversees ORR, said via email that earlier this year, it put in place “enhanced vetting policies” for adults who will care for the children after their release.

According to eight officials at ORR, who asked not to be named because they fear losing their jobs, the government largely stopped releasing children to sponsors in early November, even those who had cleared the vetting process.

Eight immigration attorneys across the country — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. — said that since early November, they have not been able to get kids with cleared sponsors out of ORR custody in most cases, even after sending letters to ORR demanding they be released and threatening litigation. The attorneys said the government has not explained why it won't let the kids go.

Over the past month and a half, ORR has released just four kids total to sponsors, according to the data.

[ORR says it's doing its job.]

But three ORR officials with knowledge of the office’s release process told the California Newsroom that in early November, agency leadership ordered a hold on releasing children to sponsors until further notice, even if the sponsors have been cleared to receive them.

The sources said the order was not put in writing, but issued verbally to field officers across the country who are charged with signing off on releases.

"Many cases are absolutely ready to go, but because releases aren’t being allowed, they are in limbo,” said a field officer who received the order.

2 Honduran children detained for nearly a year in migrant facility, ACLU says​

According to the complaint, a close family friend stepped forward to sponsor them upon their arrival in U.S. in July 2025. By October 2025, federal officials had allegedly completed a positive home study and background checks, and recorded that "no documents are pending" in the case.

But instead of releasing the children, government officials "repeatedly" reopened the sponsorship process over minor clerical details, the lawsuit alleges.

The two siblings, according to the lawsuit, have "documented educational accommodation plans and require specialized educational and developmental services" that they are not receiving while in custody.

The lawsuit comes as the average stay for unaccompanied minors in ORR custody has grown from 30 days in 2024 to 117 days in 2025 under the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown.