An estimated 145,000 children who are United States citizens have had one or both of their parents separated from them since President Donald Trump’s administration began its mass deportation agenda, according to Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution.

In a report published on Monday, the Brookings estimated that over 400,000 people had been detained at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities since Mr Trump commenced his deportation campaign, which critics described as ‘racist’ and ‘inhumane’, on the first day of his second term in January 2025.

During the period, the Brookings stated it found that about 146,635 American children likely experienced a parent detained at immigration detention centres, while more than 22,000 of those had all their co-resident parents detained after Mr Trump returned to the White House.

Only 1,000 of those children with neither of their parents at home due to immigration detention had access to social services from the child welfare system, leaving the majority of them to live with family and friends or perhaps leaving the country, while child protection was the last option, the report noted.

The Brookings’ report revealed 36 per cent of the U.S. children affected by the immigration separation were less than six years old, drawing criticism from civil rights and immigration advocacy organisations.

Children with parents from Mexico accounted for 53.7 per cent of the victims followed by Guatemala (15%), Honduras (10.7%), other Latin American and Caribbean nations (8.4%), El Salvador (5.8%), Ecuador (2.3%), 2.3%), Asia (2.1%) and other countries (1.9%).

The Brookings also disclosed that at least 60,000 people were currently held at detention centres across the U.S. but the figures are predicted to increase, citing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that allocated $54 billion for expanding holding facilities.

“As immigration enforcement expands, ensuring that affected children have access to basic support and protections should be understood not as optional, but as a necessary governmental responsibility tied to the foreseeable consequences of family separation and displacement.

“When we detain or deport a child’s parents, the nation has a clear obligation to recognise, account for, and safeguard the child’s well-being,” the report stated.