200,000 Children Ordered Removed: Inside the White House Push

Nearly 200,000 children have received removal orders from immigration judges since January 2025, according to data analyzed by the California-based advocacy group Mobile Pathways and shared with the Guardian. That is double the rate of removal orders from the period before Trump's second term began. Seventy percent of those children were under age 13. Monthly removal orders climbed from 7,366 in January 2025 to 16,750 in July 2026, before dipping slightly to 14,744 in August 2026.

How the multi-agency push works

Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is directing the effort across at least five cabinet-level departments: the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS — which houses ICE and USCIS), the Department of Justice (which runs immigration courts), the State Department, and the Department of Defense. Multiple sources briefed on the initiative told the Guardian that agency staff are told instructions come "directly from Stephen Miller" to ensure fast compliance. A coordinating group of officials — called a "tiger team" in government language — has been assembled to align policy on unaccompanied children across DHS, HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the DOJ, and the State Department.

Critics say the effort dismantles legal safeguards built specifically to protect children. By law, unaccompanied children are supposed to be transferred quickly from DHS custody into ORR care — a separation designed by Congress so that the agency caring for children is not the same one trying to deport them. But sources told the Guardian that ICE now has access to children's confidential files, including mental health and behavioral records, held by ORR. More than 1,800 children remain stuck in federal custody. Meanwhile, adults who could sponsor a child — usually family members already vetted by the government — are staying away because they fear ICE will arrest them if they come forward. The White House has framed the entire effort as an anti-trafficking initiative. Former ICE assistant director Claire Trickler-McNulty, now at the nonprofit Hyphen, called that framing "a convenient, feel-good cover that has nothing to do with trafficking." Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) told the Guardian the administration is "violating children's rights and flouting federal law to hit quotas."

What to do

• If your child has a removal order: Contact an immigration attorney immediately. A removal order does not always mean deportation is instant — there may be grounds to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) or to reopen the case, especially if the child had no lawyer at the hearing.
• If you are a potential sponsor: Lawyers recommend consulting an immigration attorney before contacting ORR or any federal agency. An attorney can advise you on your own immigration status and the risks of coming forward.
• If your child is in ORR custody: You have the right to request information about your child's case. Ask the facility for the name of the child's legal representative, if any has been assigned. Nonprofit legal organizations in many cities offer free help for children in removal proceedings.
• Document everything: Keep copies of all court notices, hearing dates, and any correspondence from USCIS, ICE, or ORR. Missing a court date — even for a child — results in an automatic removal order in absentia.

A full breakdown of this topic — in our guide “Your Rights During an ICE Encounter”.