Fewer Children Held in ICE Detention Centers

Number of detained children drops from 500 to 53 as Trump administration shifts tactics

Mar. 20, 2026 at 9:03am

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The number of children being held in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has declined dramatically in recent weeks, dropping from about 500 in January to just 53 this week at the federal detention center in Dilley, Texas. While some families were deported, others have been released back into the country as the Trump administration shifted to a more targeted approach to immigration enforcement.

Why it matters

The decline in detained children highlights the shifting immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration, which faced public backlash and legal challenges over the aggressive detention of families, especially those with young children. The drop in numbers raises questions about what happened to the hundreds of children no longer in custody and the long-term impacts on families affected by the detentions.

The details

Earlier this year, hundreds of children were being held with their parents at the Dilley facility, where families described poor conditions. Now, the number has dwindled to 53 children and 49 parents, down from about 500 children and 450 parents in mid-January. The decline is attributed to new deportations, fewer families being sent to Dilley by the Border Patrol, and a court requirement to release children after a certain period of time. However, immigration lawyers caution the numbers could surge again, and even released families could be redetained.

  • In mid-January, there were about 500 children and 450 parents at the Dilley facility.
  • As of this week, 53 children and 49 parents were being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.

The players

Dilley Immigration Processing Center

The federal government's only detention center for families.

RAICES

A nonprofit that provides legal services to families inside Dilley.

Leecia Welch

A lawyer who visits Dilley and reports to a federal judge overseeing the legal settlement.

Michelle Brané

Executive director of Together and Free, a nonprofit that works with families affected by immigration enforcement.

Elora Mukherjee

A professor at Columbia Law School who runs the school's immigration clinic and has represented families detained at Dilley.

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What they’re saying

“For now, it's a good thing but I don't see any indication they plan to end the detention of families.”

— Michelle Brané, Executive director of Together and Free

“Dilley wrecks them physically and emotionally. Yet in many cases, when they are released, 'they are back to where they started.”

— Elora Mukherjee, Professor at Columbia Law School

What’s next

The Trump administration is fighting in court to end the 1997 legal settlement agreement that requires children held in federal detention to be transferred out within three weeks.

The takeaway

The dramatic decline in detained children highlights the shifting immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration, which faced public backlash and legal challenges over the aggressive detention of families. However, the long-term impacts on affected families remain uncertain, and immigration advocates warn the numbers could surge again.