'We cried together': Trump's deportation drive forces tough decisions for couples
Thousands of mixed-status Latino families in the United States are facing wrenching decisions as the Trump administration accelerates immigration enforcement, BBC Latin America reports. Couples interviewed describe weighing whether to leave together, separate temporarily, or risk detention as workplace and courthouse arrests rise.
BBC Latin America's reporting documents the strain on Latino couples in the United States as the Trump administration accelerates immigration enforcement. In families where one spouse is documented and the other is not, a single detention notification can rewrite daily life, with parents weighing whether to leave together, separate temporarily, or stay and risk detention.
Examples cited in the interviews include moving children to new schools, switching workplaces, ending leases early and reorganising bank accounts. Immigration lawyers say case backlogs are lengthening and many families are uncertain about the safest legal route to follow.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says arrests focus on people with criminal records, while advocacy groups report a rise in workplace and courthouse operations. Several Latin American governments said they are expanding consular legal-assistance lines for citizens at risk of removal, and tracking returnee numbers as a leading indicator.
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