In New Haven, 13-year-old Monse and her 8 year-old brother witnessed their mother get detained by federal immigration agents before being dropped off to school.
Elsewhere in Connecticut, 16-year-old Kevin and his father were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while attending a routine immigration appointment just days before he was set to graduate from high school in Meriden.
Both Monse’s mother and Kevin’s father were deported, changing two families’ lives in an instant.
Then, in late August, federal immigration agents swept through several Connecticut cities, making more than 100 arrests, as advocacy groups worked to help families learn more about their loved ones, while alerting communities about ICE presence.
How do these arrests affect the children and families involved?
“This is not healthy for any community,” said Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center. “This is not healthy for any individual, any family unit, for any city, for any state, for this nation.”
In an interview with Connecticut Public, Monse reflected on the past year without her mother, who is now in Mexico.
"It's like a feeling that never goes away,” Monse said. “I could be doing something so random and it just sometimes comes up to me. Obviously I cry, but it just goes away after."
About 205,000 children, including 145,000 children who are U.S. citizens, have been affected by ICE-related parental detention during the first 15 months of the Trump administration, according to a report from the Brookings Institution.
Connecticut saw an increase in apprehensions from 2024 to 2025, according to an analysis by the CTData Collaborative.
The analysis shows the state reached an average of 165 apprehensions per month and a 600% increase in the apprehension of people with no conviction but with pending criminal charges. Connecticut had the second-largest increase in apprehensions in New England. (Massachusetts ranked first.)
ICE did not respond to Connecticut Public's request for comment.
Children who experience family separation through immigration experience impacts to their mental health, including anxiety and depression about the well-being of the family member, according to the American Psychological Association. There are also concerns about finances and life, as well as poor academic outcomes.
"It changed my life,” Monse said. “I think no family should get taken away from their kids, their family, especially at a young age. I hope that gets fixed."
As a part of Connecticut Public’s Mini-Doc series, hear from Monse and Kevin in their own words, as well as legal experts who talk about what’s happening on the ground across the state – and how family separations are affecting children and their mental health.
Learn more
Visit Connecticut Public’s Immigrant Resource Guide or the Connecticut Immigrant Support Network for additional resources.
Find more reporting on immigration from Connecticut Public’s newsroom, including:
