Families Separated, Lives Disrupted: The Human Cost of Renewed Immigration Crackdown
The recent surge in immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration is tearing families apart and leaving a trail of uncertainty and fear, according to accounts from those directly impacted. While the administration touts record lows in border crossings, the human cost of its policies is becoming increasingly clear, particularly for those already seeking refuge in the United States.
Fourteen-year-old Ariana Velasquez and her mother, Stephanie Valladares, have been detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for 45 days, according to reporting by ProPublica. Ariana, who moved to Hicksville, New York from Honduras with her mother when she was seven, is a freshman at Hicksville High School and is now falling behind in her classes due to the detention. She misses her sign language teacher and, most of all, her younger siblings, Gianna, and Jacob.
The situation is particularly heartbreaking for Jacob, a kindergartener, who has been trying to communicate with his mother through a security camera installed in the kitchen. According to Ariana, Jacob speaks to the camera hoping his mother will respond. “They are very young and you need both of your parents when you are growing up,” Ariana wrote in a letter following a visit, describing the anguish of her siblings.
The Velasquez family’s case is emblematic of a broader trend. The crackdown has resumed family detentions, a policy that had previously faced court challenges and public outcry. As reported by CNN, the shift in policy has led to a change in the population within detention centers like Dilley.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, a Colombian family experienced what an immigrant rights group described as “36 hours in a dungeon” while detained by ICE in Durango. Fernando Jaramillo-Solano, 45, and his two children, ages 12 and 15, were initially arrested after a traffic accident, though reports indicate ICE agents were actually looking for a different individual. The family’s detention sparked protests in the community.
The stories emerging from these detention centers paint a grim picture of the conditions faced by those seeking a better life in the United States. Ariana Velasquez described the emotional toll of detention, stating that “Since I got to this Center all you will feel is sadness and mostly depression.”
The experiences of families like the Velasquez’s and the Jaramillo-Solano’s are unfolding against a backdrop of increased ICE arrests. Data analyzed by the Proyecto de Datos de Deportación shows a 46 percent increase in the arrest of Colombian nationals by ICE between the start of the second Trump administration and mid-October 2025. A significant majority – 82 percent – of those arrested have no criminal record.
The case of Laura, a 24-year-old Colombian woman residing in the U.S. As a permanent resident, highlights the precarious situation many immigrants face. Her husband, Javier, a 28-year-old asylum seeker, was detained following a traffic accident where he was found ‘not guilty.’ Despite presenting documentation of their legal processes, marriage, and family ties – including a U.S. Citizen baby – Javier was denied bond and even a request for deportation was refused.
Laura recounts Javier pleading with a judge for deportation, stating he simply wanted to resolve their situation legally. She now faces eviction and an uncertain future, fearing she may have to return to Colombia, where her family faced threats that prompted their initial decision to seek refuge in the United States. Her uncle was murdered in 2023 after speaking out against criminal activity, and another family member also fell victim to violence.
“There are so many threats towards him that we would have to move again, even if it’s to another country,” Laura said, reflecting the desperation and fear gripping families caught in the crosshairs of the administration’s immigration policies. The situation underscores the human consequences of a system that, for many, feels increasingly unforgiving.
