The Trump administration has stepped up its policy of cracking down on immigrants, with a worrying focus on children arriving alone in the United States. According to  internal ICE documents and reports from immigration rights advocates, authorities have been conducting home visits, officially called "welfare checks," with the aim not only of ensuring the safety of these children, but also of gathering information for deportation proceedings or even criminal prosecutions minors or their legal sponsors.

According to The Guardian, although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that the visits are protective in nature, an ICE document reveals a broader intention of enforcement, including looking for evidence of links between children or their caregivers and criminal activities or trafficking networks. Critics warn that these actions represent a "secret family separation" by criminalizing families that foster minors and creating a climate of fear among immigrant communities.

The policy has been accompanied by other restrictive measures, such as cutting off legal services for unaccompanied minors and reinstating the sharing of sensitive data between the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and ICE. Under Trump's new term, ORR began informing the immigration agency of the sponsors' legal status, potentially paving the way for their detention and deportation.

Recent cases, such as that of a 16-year-old girl visited by federal agents in Washington state, illustrate the emotional toll of these operations. Support organizations reported the panic and trauma faced by children approached without warning, fearing losing their home or seeing their guardians detained.

Legal experts and human rights defenders say that while there are cases of exploitation or trafficking of minors, these are the exception, not the rule. Most children live with relatives or responsible caregivers. Still, the Trump administration reinforces the narrative that there is a widespread risk of trafficking, justifying a more punitive and militarized approach to child immigration, according to the publication.

The appointment of Angie Salazar, a former ICE agent, as ORR's acting director symbolizes the growing intertwining of welfare and immigration enforcement policies. For critics, this merger threatens the fundamental rights of migrant children and transforms the reception process into another tool of immigration control.

Amid these changes, fears are growing that the new measures will deepen the trauma and insecurity experienced by thousands of children and their families, against a backdrop of tightening immigration policies and erosion of humanitarian protections in the United States.