Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told HuffPost in an email that ICE is “NOT” targeting young people. A wave of such transfers followed, despite approximately 98% of 18-year-old “age-outs” having been released over the past four years rather than sent to ICE detention, government records show. The Garcia Ramirez litigation began during the first Trump administration, when ICE repeatedly transferred minors who turned 18 directly to ICE jails. The teen disappeared into the black hole of adult ICE detention. Over 65,000 people now sit in immigration detention, an all-time record, and the vast majority have no serious criminal history at all.

Source: Huffington Post December 16, 2025 14:53 UTC