On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Pennsylvania health, education and legal professionals participated in a press conference to share first-hand accounts of how the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda is harming immigrant children and families throughout the state.
Speakers detailed how current policies are tearing families apart, ignoring basic safeguards, and putting children in harm’s way. The conference followed the administration’s recent announcement that it will suspend all asylum decisions and some visas.
Speakers detailed their experiences working with immigrant children and families, many of whom have endured devastating circumstances since Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda began in January with city-by-city rolloutsfueling another crisis of family separation.
“Today I am here to share Luisa’s story. Before the increase in ICE enforcement measures this yearLuisa was a very active fourth grade student. She got good grades, played softball and was adored by her teachers and classmates,” said Rachel Rutter, an immigration attorney and executive director of the Freedom Project.
Then, masked ICE agents became a fixture in their community, turning everyday activities into a fight for survival. From one day to the next, Luisa was torn from her community and her school, and deported to a country she had not visited since she was a baby.a country I didn’t even remember.
When children experience this type of chronic stress, it can disrupt their brain development. and affect your immune, hormonal and metabolic systems.
Besides, If a child is separated from their parents, this can lead to long-term post-traumatic stress disorderincluding lifelong anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other behavioral problems.
Separation from a parent is one of the most damaging adverse experiences we see in childhood.” said Dr. Katie McPeak, FAAP, a pediatrician at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Here in Pittsburgh, the Latino population represents less than 3% of residents; however, we have seen a more than 250% increase in detentions by ICE compared to the same period last year,” said Mónica Ruiz, Executive Director of Casa San José.
“During a five-hour ICE raid, ICE and local police stopped anyone who appeared dark while driving. As soon as someone couldn’t present an ID, driver’s license, or proof of citizenship, ICE detained them. In one incident, children were left alone in a car after their father was taken away. And we know that this not only happens here, but also in other areas, even more rural, where no one pays attention. These raids affect families every day.”
Schools are deeply concerned about the emotional impact this is having on their students.. Parents are afraid to take their children to school. Some are delaying medical appointments because they are no longer sure that clinics, community centers or schools are safe, said Rosamaria Cristello, Executive Director of the Latino Community Center.
This fear continues to grow because the old guidelines that previously kept immigration authorities away from Schools, hospitals, churches and other sensitive places have been weakened. Families used to trust that these were safe spaces where their children could learn and receive care safely. That trust has been eroded.
“The young people I work with are really fortunate, in a sense, because they have legal representation. That representation makes a difference for them,” said Orlando Portela, an immigration attorney with Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) of Pittsburgh. “Statistics show that 84% of young people without legal representation end up with deportation orderswhich means they are deported from the United States. But when they have legal representation, only 20% face deportation orders.”
“If I could leave a message for our audience today, it would be that Family separation is happening on a much larger and more devastating scale in 2025 than seven years ago, in 2017 and 2018, when separations at the border attracted national attention,” said Jennifer Nagda, Program Director of the Young Center.
“This administration is investing extraordinary resources to keep children in shelters, separated from their families.the school and the community. When children have no hope of reuniting with their families, when they have no hope of finding a lawyer, when they have no hope of moving freely within their community, they are more likely to give up. And when they give up, the government can return them without any security assessment, without the intervention of a judge or court, without anyone considering their well-being“.
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