The sight of five-year-old Liam Ramos, clutching his Spider-Man backpack while being led away by federal agents, has become the defining image of a new and ruthless era in American immigration enforcement. It marks the return—and expansion—of family detention policies that rights groups warn are terrorizing children.

Data obtained by the Deportation Data Project reveals a shocking surge: between January and October 2025, ICE booked over 3,800 minors into family detention centers. Unlike previous administrations, which focused on border crossings, the Trump administration is now targeting established families deep within the US interior.

"No Status Protects You"

Becky Wolozin, an attorney with the National Center for Youth Law, warns that the rules of engagement have fundamentally changed. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-15)"This is not people showing up at the border," she explained. "It’s people who live in the United States, who have permission to live here. Even refugees are being re-interviewed. There is no status that protects people anymore."

The Flores Firewall

Legal experts are scrambling to defend the 1997 Flores Settlement, a court decree that sets strict standards for the treatment of detained minors.

• The Law: Flores generally prohibits the detention of unaccompanied children and limits the time families can be held.
• The Violation: Activists report families being held in improvised "black sites"—office buildings and airports—without basic childcare facilities, a flagrant violation of the decree.

As the administration turbocharges its "mass deportation" agenda, the collateral damage is counted in the trauma of children like Liam Ramos. The policy is no longer about border security; it is, as critics argue, a campaign of psychological warfare against the most vulnerable.