States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children of Detained Immigrants Out of Foster Care By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Illustration by Oona Zenda April 14, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/immigrants-ice-arrests-family-separation-children-foster-care/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Axf8zyx9w6zCOTsv60OVxVrtqn-jR0Vpaab7SvsEYxs9JbII14kQexyT7Y2XB50wJrllWmZb8FJ4W8OZHc6LKYEZb9w&_hsmi=413665628&utm_content=413665628&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children Of Detained Immigrants Out Of Foster Care As immigration authorities carry out what President Donald Trump has promised will be the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, several states are passing laws to keep children out of foster care when their detained parents have no family or friends available to take temporary custody of them. The federal government doesn’t track how many children have entered foster care because of immigration enforcement actions, leaving it unclear how often it happens. In Oregon, as of February two children had been placed in foster care after being separated from their parents in immigration detention cases, according to Jake Sunderland, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Human Services. (Orozco Rodriguez, 4/14)