U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), along with Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and eight other colleagues, has called on the Trump administration to stop enforcement actions against unaccompanied minors and to develop policies that protect these children. In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, and Director of the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review Daren Margolin, the senators expressed concern over the treatment of immigrant children in custody.
The senators highlighted that immigrant children are being held in custody for longer periods compared to previous years. “Due to the Administration’s actions, immigrant children are being held in custody for substantially longer periods of time, including children never previously detained. Children released from ORR custody in January 2025 were held for an average of 37 days. In grave comparison, children released in August 2025 were held almost five times as long, for an average of 182 days,” they wrote. They also noted efforts by the administration to end the Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets minimum standards for humane treatment of children in detention.
The letter pointed out record numbers of deportations among young children: “April 2025, more than 8,000 children age 11 or under received a removal order—the highest monthly number in over 35 years. And in the first six months of the Administration, nearly 15,000 children under the age of four were ordered deported. The vast majority of these children did not have legal representation.”
The senators criticized recent enforcement operations targeting sponsors and guardians: “Over the last year, the Administration has also launched an unprecedented attack on the sponsors and guardians of unaccompanied children. According to reporting, enforcement operations targeting parents and caretakers of immigrant kids have led to nearly 3,000 arrests. Instead of targeting violent criminals, the Administration appears to be using children as bait to easily locate and target family members and sponsors for deportation.”
They concluded by stating: “The Administration’s actions paint a deeply troubling picture for the fate of immigrant children in our country. DHS and ICE are intent on detaining and removing children from the country without regard for constitutional or statutory protections.”
In their correspondence, the lawmakers requested detailed information regarding changes in policy at federal agencies responsible for unaccompanied minors since January 2025.
Senator Hirono has been active on immigration issues during her tenure in Congress. She reintroduced legislation such as the Reuniting Families Act aimed at strengthening protections for immigrant families and cosponsored bills like the Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act and Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act.
Senator Hirono represents Hawaii as its first female senator and is recognized as the first Asian American woman elected to serve in this capacity according to her official website. She immigrated from Japan to Hawaii with her mother and brother as a child and graduated from both University of Hawaii at Manoa and Georgetown University Law Center. Her work focuses on supporting immigrants alongside veterans and underserved communities as stated on her official site. She also provides assistance with federal agency matters such as Social Security claims and immigration petitions according to her website.
The full text of the senators’ letter is available online.
