Society‘They Tricked Me’: Father Shackled and Detained After Visiting ICE to Reunite With His ChildrenClaudia Boyd-Barrett, Renuka Rayasam, and Amanda Seitz, KFF Health News|CNNAn attorney holds up a drawing of Rapunzel by Carlos' daughter, who has been in a federal shelter with her brother for nearly a year since the pair crossed the border to be with their father. The 16-year-old said she spends most of her time in her room, feeling isolated like the “Tangled” movie character. - Abigail GonsoulinCarlos (a pseudonym) traveled to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Mexico in December believing he was one step away from reuniting with his two children, who had been in a federal shelter in Texas for nearly a year. The siblings—then 14 and 16—had crossed the border to join him after fleeing violence in Venezuela. Federal officials had previously vetted Carlos and told him his custody case was complete. According to court records and interviews conducted by KFF Health News, an immigration officer phoned Carlos and asked him to attend a meeting the following Monday. When he arrived, officers pressured him to sign paperwork he said he did not understand. After he refused, they removed his clothes, confiscated his ID and belongings, and shackled him by the neck, waist and legs before taking him into detention. “They tricked me,” Carlos said in a phone interview from an ICE detention center in El Paso, Texas. “They used my children to grab me.” The article is based on court filings, interviews with the family’s immigration attorneys, statements from the children (translated from Spanish) and an interview with Carlos. Attorneys requested the use of a pseudonym out of concern that publicity could jeopardize the family’s immigration case or further delay reunification. Systemic Changes and Enforcement Since 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has sheltered and placed unaccompanied immigrant children with vetted sponsors—typically parents or relatives already in the U.S. Congress assigned this responsibility to a health agency to keep custody and child welfare separate from immigration enforcement. But under the current administration, ORR—now led by a former ICE official—has tightened policies and increased coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Arrest records show Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has interviewed caregivers who come to claim children and arrested those found to lack legal authorization. Before the change in administration, ORR restricted data-sharing with immigration enforcement and generally did not deny custody solely for immigration status; those limits were rescinded last year. Internal HHS documents obtained by KFF Health News report that, as of Jan. 29, nearly 11,800 migrant children and almost 500 of their caregivers had been arrested as part of a multi-agency effort to review placements. Only a small share—125 children and 55 caregivers—were listed as arrested for alleged criminal activity, suggesting most detentions were for immigration violations. LAist obtained data suggesting more than 100 caregivers were arrested while seeking custody, though KFF Health News could not independently verify that figure with federal agencies. New ORR Requirements and Impact on Families ORR has enacted new requirements that advocates say slow reunifications: narrower acceptable documentation, fingerprint-based background checks for every adult in the home (including backup caregivers), and mandatory in-person ID verifications—sometimes with ICE present. HHS officials say the rules protect children from traffickers and unsafe caregivers. A KFF Health News investigation found that HHS's resettlement office, headed by a former ICE official, coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security to arrest people seeking custody of migrant children. - Heather Diehl/Getty Images Advocates say the policy shifts have already disrupted placements. As of January, ORR had reportedly detained at least 300 children who had previously been placed with vetted sponsors and asked those caregivers to reapply. Advocacy groups filed a lawsuit on Feb. 23 calling these actions “a quieter, new form of family separation.” Human Toll: Children and Caregivers The story includes other families affected by the changes. “Dulce” (a pseudonym) described how her 8-year-old son was returned to government custody after a traffic stop and kept from her for eight months while she repeated the sponsorship process. She said she feared attending an ICE office to verify identification because she lacks lawful status and believes ICE visited her home. Extended shelter stays and repeated vetting create practical and emotional burdens. ORR reported that children spent an average of one month in government care in 2024; by February, that average had risen to more than six months. Research and social workers warn that longer stays can compound trauma for unaccompanied minors and increase the risk of prolonged separation, including foster care or adoption. In Carlos’ case, ICE documents state he was arrested under an initiative called Operation Guardian Trace, which directs officers to detain potential caregivers who lack authorization and recommend deportation. His attorneys argued the arrest used the children as bait; a federal judge later found his detention unlawful and released him on bond in March. Nonetheless, his children remain in limbo, and his detention means he will likely need to repeat much of the reunification process. “This operation is designed to force parents to make an impossible choice between reuniting with their children and seeking safety,” said Chiqui Sanchez Kennedy, one of Carlos’ attorneys. Broader Context The changes come amid shifting migration patterns: border encounters fell in 2024, and more unaccompanied minors are being taken into ORR custody after encounters inside the U.S., such as traffic stops or raids. Administrations across recent years have faced criticism for different aspects of how unaccompanied children and placements were handled—either losing track of some children after release or failing to process surges safely. Officials say current efforts address past failures, while advocates and former officials say the enforcement emphasis has widened beyond trafficking or public-safety cases. The consequences are immediate for families: longer shelter stays, interrupted reunifications, and heightened fear among caregivers who must decide between risking detention and regaining custody. For Carlos’ children, the experience has produced anxiety, panic attacks and isolation, according to statements relayed by their attorneys. KFF Health News is the reporting source for this story and reviewed court documents and interviews cited above.Help us improve.