How Mass Deportations Are Sending Children Into Foster Care.

Mass deportations don’t just affect the individuals being removed—they shatter families, leaving thousands of innocent children suddenly without parents, stability, or security. Many of these children, U.S. citizens by birth, are left with no choice but to enter the foster care system, separated from everything they have ever known.

When parents are deported without proper legal protections or family reunification plans, their children often become part of the child welfare system. Some may have relatives willing to take them in, but without the necessary documentation, legal authority, or financial resources, these families face overwhelming barriers. Others have no immediate family available, leading to a devastating reality—children being placed with strangers, forced to navigate an already overburdened foster care system while coping with profound trauma and loss.

The long-term consequences are heartbreaking. These children endure emotional distress, instability, and a deep sense of abandonment—not because their parents willingly left them, but because policies have torn their families apart. Many struggle with identity, belonging, and an uncertain future in a system never designed to handle the fallout of mass deportations.

We Must Act —Now.

We cannot allow children to suffer due to immigration policies that disregard family unity. We must ask ourselves:

• How can we prevent children from needlessly entering foster care due to deportation?

• What legal safeguards must be put in place to ensure family reunification is a priority?

• How can communities, advocates, and child welfare organizations step up to support these vulnerable children?

A Call for Change

Family separation--whether at the border or within our communities -leaves lasting scars. No child should be forced to endure the trauma of losing their parents due to deportation. It is time to demand:

• Policies that prioritize family unity and prevent unnecessary separation.

• Legal protections that safeguard children from being funneled into foster care.

• Community-driven solutions to support affected families and ensure children remain with loved ones.

Youth Be Known will be stepping up and advocating for immigrant children. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this administration’s attack on immigrants —but thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need action.

Let’s raise awareness. Let’s demand change. Let’s protect our children