Number of Children in ICE Detention Skyrockets Under Trump
·28 min
Rattlin' Balls host Manson Moussa interviews Marshall Project journalists Shannon Heffernan and Anna Flagg on the sixfold increase in child ICE detention under Trump administration (from 25 daily average under Biden to 170 average in 2025). Using Deportation Data Project FOIA data (end-2023 to October 2025), they document Dilley Immigration Processing Center conditions: contaminated water, moldy food causing weight loss, poor medical care. CoreCivic private contractor operates facility with minimal accountability. Peak occurred June 26, 2025 with 400+ children detained simultaneously. Enforcement shifted from border to interior (Chicago, Minneapolis raids), driven by deportation quotas. Critical finding: children detained when families comply (court appearances, ICE check-ins), creating paradoxical punishment for obedience.
