Hirono joins colleagues in demanding ICE halt actions against children

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaiʻi joined Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and eight colleagues in writing a letter urging the Trump Administration to halt enforcement actions against minors and develop policies aimed at protecting them.

The letter was addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, and the Director of the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review Daren Margolin.

“Due to the Administration’s actions, immigrant children are being held in custody for substantially longer periods of time, including children never previously detained. Children released from ORR custody in January 2025 were held for an average of 37 days. In grave comparison, children released in August 2025 were held almost five times as long, for an average of 182 days,” the senators wrote. 

“To make matters worse, the Administration has sought repeatedly to terminate the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets minimum standards for the humane treatment of children in custody,” according to the letter.

The senators continued, highlighting the large amount of children being deported.

“April 2025, more than 8,000 children age 11 or under received a removal order—the highest monthly number in over 35 years. And in the first six months of the Administration, nearly 15,000 children under the age of four were ordered deported. The vast majority of these children did not have legal representation,” the senators continued.

 “DHS and ICE are intent on detaining and removing children from the country without regard for constitutional or statutory protections,” the senators concluded.

In their letter, the senators request answers to the following questions no later than Feb. 23, 2026: 

1. Please provide any internal guidance, policy, or memorandum governing any changes in Office of Refugee Resettlement mission since January 2025. 
2. Under what circumstances does DHS transfer unaccompanied children into ORR custody? 
3. How many children has CBP transferred into ORR custody since January 2025? How many children has ICE transferred into ORR custody since January 2025?  
4. Of the children that DHS has transferred into ORR custody since January 2025, how many were separated from a parent or other family member? How many were removed from their sponsors due to the sponsor’s immigration status? 
5. How many individuals age 18 or younger has ORR detained in immigration custody since January 2025? How many individuals age 18 or younger has the Administration arrested in the interior of the country and placed in ORR custody since January 2025?

In addition to Senators Hirono, Markey, and Merkley, the letter is also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Last year, Senator Hirono reintroduced the Reuniting Families Act of 2025, legislation to strengthen protections for immigrant families. She also cosponsored the Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act, legislation to reverse provisions that she says harm unaccompanied children who are seeking safety from trafficking, abuse, and exploitation in their home countries.

The full text of the letter is available here.