Virtual Press Conference: Ongoing Federal Actions Put Child Wellbeing at Risk

TEXAS (January 21, 2026) –America’s children and families are at risk. The trauma experienced by those impacted by federal immigration enforcement will have lasting consequences not only for those directly affected, but for the health and well-being of Texas communities as a whole.

Research consistently demonstrates that prolonged exposure to fear and instability disrupts emotional regulation, academic achievement, and social development into adulthood. When immigration enforcement practices expose large numbers of children to trauma—through family separation and the erosion of community safety, the effects extend outward, increasing community mental health needs, straining school systems, reducing economic stability, and perpetuating intergenerational cycles of stress.

Recent reports confirm that hundreds of children of immigrants in Texas are being held in federal custody for extended periods, with some detained for 168 days or longer. These prolonged detentions expose children to toxic stress, emotional trauma, and developmental harm, all while failing to improve public safety.

With hundreds of children in Texas impacted by these actions as of January 2026, the responsibility falls to community leaders to remind local and federal officials that immigration policy is about people. Every policy decision should protect children, keep families together, and reserve enforcement actions for individuals who pose genuine public safety risks. As Congress considers the FY26 Department of Homeland Security budget, proposed increases would direct hundreds of millions of additional dollars toward detention and enforcement, raising concerns about expanded practices that harm children without improving public safety.

On Wednesday, January 21st at 10:30 AM, CHILDREN AT RISK will host a virtual press  conference to call on leaders at the local and federal level to return to a family-friendly, child-centered approach to immigration enforcement and to ensure federal funding decisions do not expand practices that harm children—one that leaves children out of punitive actions while prioritizing public safety. Invited experts will emphasize that effective enforcement and compassion are not mutually exclusive, and that federal policy actions including budget and funding decisions should always reflect common-sense values that protect children, keep families together, and reserve resources instead for individuals who pose a genuine public safety risk.

“Children need safety and stability, detaining children is not only harmful—it’s unnecessary. We have overwhelming evidence that these environments increase anxiety, depression, and trauma in children, while failing to improve public safety,” said Dr. Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK.  “Protecting children’s mental health should be a non-negotiable standard in federal policy.”

Recent findings show that detention facilities often rely on non-validated or inadequate mental health screening tools, leaving serious psychological needs unidentified and untreated. Poor follow-up care compounds the harm, particularly as family detention facilities in Texas are reopened or expanded. Child welfare experts and medical professionals have long warned that these practices can cause lasting physical and mental harm.

Federal policymakers must immediately end the placement of children in ICE custody and instead invest in proven, community-based case management programs that ensure compliance with immigration proceedings while protecting child well-being and strengthening communities.

Congress must carefully reassess DHS funding decisions to ensure that federal dollars are not used to expand detention practices that harm children and instill fear in communities. Immigration policy should ensure existing child protection laws are fully enforced and align with the clear consensus of medical and mental health experts on what is in the best interest of children.

Key Data Points

• In December 2026, court documents reported that an estimated 400 children of immigrants were being detained in Texas facilities, with an average processing time of 168 days or more (Associated Press).
• Detention environments often used non-validated or inadequate mental health screening tools, failing to identify deep psychological needs among child detainees (The Lancet Regional Health – Americas 2025).
• Nearly half (49%) of children forcibly separated from their mothers experienced serious emotional problems and about one in five (17%) showed signs consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), highlighting the significant toll that family separation can take on children’s mental health (Social Science and Medicine).
• Children exposed to ICE actions experience chronic anxiety, fear of family separation, emotional dysregulation, sleep and appetite disturbances, and behavioral changes. The threat of a caregiver’s detention alone can create ongoing traumatic stress affecting daily life and development (UC Riverside).