Miami — During the first Trump administration, families were forcibly separated at the border.
Now parents are being arrested within the United States by immigration authorities Separated from their families During prolonged detention inside the country.
Three recent immigrants told The Associated Press that their journeys have been a source of deep pain and uncertainty because they represent the potential beginning of permanent separation between loved ones. Associated Press photographers documented the human casualties.
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Jacqueline Passedo and her two young sons arrived in Miami in December 2024 and received refugee status while Passedo takes care of the boy and works as an office cleaner. Their husband and father, Antonio Laverde, who left Venezuela in 2022, was arrested in June at their shared residence and detained for three months before asking to return to Venezuela. Fearing persecution if she returns, Passedo hopes to reunite with her husband in the United States
Amafelia crossed from Guatemala in September 2023 and takes care of two young children — she breastfeeds and wakes up at 3 a.m. to cook lunches that she sells for $10 while also selling homemade ice cream and chocolate-covered bananas door to door. Her husband, Edgar, who has lived and worked in South Florida for more than 20 years, was detained on an arrest warrant in 2016 and deported to Guatemala on June 8, leaving the family unable to pay rent and relying on donations at first.
She and her husband declined to provide their last names because they are concerned about repercussions from US immigration officials.
Amafilia fears the police, urges her daughter to remain calm, and continues to “give myself to God,” hoping to provide stability despite the uncertainty.
“I felt hopeless,” said 31-year-old Amafelia. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Jawska, five months pregnant, lives in Miami with her two young sons, one of whom is a US citizen and has a 24-hour GPS monitoring bracelet. She fled Nicaragua in 2022. Her husband, a political activist who faced threats and beatings at home, was detained at an ICE appointment and failed a credible fear interview.
Jawska spoke on condition of anonymity and asked the same of her husband to protect him from the Nicaraguan government.
He was deported after three months of detention. Jawska’s work license runs until 2028, but she fears for her family’s future and struggles to find stable work.
“It is very difficult to see my children like this,” Jawska said, her voice trembling. “They arrested him right in front of them.”