Showing posts with label donalddonaldhowdoesyourgardengrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label donalddonaldhowdoesyourgardengrow. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem

 

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem


Remember, remember! The fifth of trumpvember

 the 40 days of trumpmas - a serial poem

 

for 40 days the trumpeter reigns,

his lies and hate on whom he disdains,

but election day will come so soon,

we'll no longer hear the orange baboon;

 

in 39 days full of world wide problems.

we could elect him to get rid of the muslims,

but as he'll rant on trivialities of his presidential life,

what could be worse? - you could be his wife;

 

in 38 days just what will you do?

the donald has said he likes lgbtq,

but as he bullies his women and all his men too,

if youre questioning, what stops him from bullying you?

 

in just 37 days, some people are saying,

(or pleading or hoping or some even praying)

the duke of prunes will dye his forelock purple my friend,

and thus make america grape again,

 

our days are down to just 36,

before our problems the don will fix,

he will on day one do what hes said - true,

he'll wall out our enemies - and fat women too!

 

on the 35th day of trumpmas

yes just seven weeks remain!

will the polls and tallies deliver us

donald with his golden mane?

 

34 days and the vice-pipers have piped,

though pence didnt say why donalds suit shouldnt be striped,

he wouldnt defend his master's string pulling,

to make america great? - who do they think they're fooling?

 

just 33 days till the macho tornado,

unless its blown away by hurricane machado,

with women and voters he has so much to loose.

keep your mouth shut donald (unless youre changing your shoes)

 

32 days and we’ve been hit by the big blowhard,

donald spoke here in fla (oh, we had a hurricane too)

this administration gives us playing the race card, a weak economy, and unemployment

but if you want a job you could be donald’s campaign manager (unless youre a jew)

 

31 days, just a month, remains;

will the donald say hes sorry, and his baser impulses restrain?

or keep blaming bill clinton for our moral demise;

when trump speaks to us, our NO votes must be our replies!

 

election comes this time (in 30 days) each 4 years,

time for praise and tears and fears;

as polls will open in many states,

vote early, please dont vote late!

 

down to 29, just a leap february,

and theres still the donald quite

contrary;

donald donald, how does your garden grow?

quoth the master debater, "with pretty maids groped in a row"

 

just 28 days - later or soon,

and the zombies will rise, led by the big goon;

unless everyone gets a reality inoculation,

i might have to move to canada for a well deserved vacation; 

 

now just 27, less than 4 weeks,

no time for you to say 'yikes!' or 'eeeks!'

obama wants to go to mars and colonize it for man,

lets send trump tomorrow! and colonize it for orangutan!

 

26 days are all that remain,

will our democracy and economy go down the drain?

if we all keep listening to the blustering oaf,

will he give jobs and prosperity? - or just half a loaf

 

25 days - will more women speak?,

of the antics of donald who the presidency seeks,

dating 14 year old girls or groping their mothers,

how did the gop pick him over the others?,

 

24 days - were down to two dozen,

the next woman who speaks just might be your cousin,

or mother or sister, aunt, niece, even daughter,

describing the circumstance in which donald caught her,

 

23 days left and trump doesnt yet have as many accusers,

as cosby, but he assures us that they are all really losers,

sent by bankers or hillary with secret agendas,

to disrupt our election of him - our defender!,

 

22 days and we know charity begins at home,

but donalds attention is so prone to roam,

his gift that disappeared to 911 survivors from his foundation?,

oops! maybe donald spent it on a vacation,

 

21 days and trump says the election may be rig-ly,

if hes not the winner and his total's not big-ly,

tremendously higher than hillary gets,

he warns his supporters may all lose their wits,

 

20 days left and while george zimmerman still walks free,

the man who shot at HIM got 20 years - while trayvon got eternity,

trump wants us to support our cops and maintain law and order,

he'll put all the inner city dwellers in jail, and send the immigrant criminals far across the border,

 

19 days left till we all go to pretend,

to elect someone to lead us, as if on it our lives depend,

but wise man, donald trump, already really knows,

who we really voted for - a wolf in president's clothes?,

 

18 days and we bad hombres demand a rebate,

on the ill feelings left since the comments of one candidate,

the debaters have met in their final grudge match,

but only donald can say from whose hands victory will be snatched,

 

17 days and our government is corrupt with quid pro quo,

did you take latin at wharton? is that how you know?,

donald wants us to fire at them all - the bureaucrats lined up in rows,

and believe me, corruption is a subject. that donald really knows,

 

16 days - lets set term limits on all our office holders,

and put all our women in binders - or maybe in folders,

donalds endless complaints are becoming a sour whine,

have a little cheese with that, from wisconsin, where 

hillary's doing fine,

 

15 days and on stocking covered thighs did linger,

two miniature hands with two thumbs and eight tiny fingers,

they belonged to the donald who believed that he owned,

any thing that he wanted - or anyone he got alone,

 

14 days yes only two weeks,

till the duke of orange assends to the throne he seeks?,

to rule all americans, the strong and the weak?,

and dominate the globe with power that's peak?,

 

the 13th day to go - does that seem unlucky?,

not for donald whos lately been appearing quite plucky,

claiming media, polls, and parties are against him,

and rallying his multitudes with wit waxing dim,

 

on the 12th day of trumpmas donald awoke with a jerk,

promptly fired his latest campaign manager (who considered that a perk),

if youre "AAAfroAAAmurikan" and unemployed i can put you to work,

barked donald the businessman from behind his sly smirk,

 

it's the 11th and engineer casey trump is in the caboose,

i hear some of you saying oh no! what's the use,

our campaign will probably just go off the tracks,

but donald says its ok - cause he's got "the blacks",

 

just ten days left yes only one-zero,

til donald is hoping that he'll be your hero,

as new hillary emails come under investigation,

donald hopes to rename camp david to camp donald for

his vacations,

 

like a cat has nine lives we're left with only 9 days,

till we're subject to donald? and his old wicked ways,

on foreign affairs he says he'll save us from isis,

but his domestic affairs are misogyny and crisis,

 

our days are numbered - yes only eight,

till once again we make america great,

by getting rid of candidates who have nothing to add,

goodbye donald you wont make america sad,

 

just one week to go - its day minus seven,

till america's lifted above - to trumpty dump heaven?,

where for rich folks like donald opportunity abounds,

and we keep the working poor with a wall that surrounds,

 

how the time it does fly its already day 6,

till americans problems the donald will fix,

his solutions begin on trumpday number one,

dont you like them? they'll come at the barrel of a gun,

 

Five days to go, baby, One in five,

No one here gets out alive, now,

david dukes not opposed to all jews,

he backs trump - who are you going to choose?,

 

only 4 days left till the armaged-don,

he'll seize power by the horns once he has won,

and donnie will be what he longs for - a winner,

using the FBI to wreak havoc on hillary the sinner,

 

only three left, just a triad of days,

and the donald his supporters continues to amaze,

with hoopla and folderoll made up in his head,

his winning temperament will leave us all dead,

 

just a pair of days - 2 - till trump paradise,

since these words you're reading please heed my advice,

the creatures that surround us are beginning to bite,

'blacks for trump' fear the Illuminati so lets turn out their light,

 

just a single day left till our thanksgiving,

deliver us from donald and preserve the living,

forget sanity and disgard your misgivings,

but pray hard to your gods that they'll be forgiving,

since we've got the nukes why can't we use'em?,

on the road to 2016 why couldn't we lose HIM?,

 

and trumpmas now has finally come,

the tallies will count up to a winning sum,

unless the earth is struck soon by a cataclysmic comet,

to elect a candidate who just makes you want to vomit?,

we wish you a merry trumpmas at this time each 4 years,

if you have'nt voted you've lost the chance to mitigate your fears,

cause donald duck is ready to lead, forget your crocodile tears,

so you'd better get the vaseline and lubricate your rears!

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

“Betrayal”: Trump EPA Rolls Back Key Drinking Water Protections

 

“Betrayal”: Trump EPA Rolls Back Key Drinking Water Protections

https://newrepublic.com/post/210595/donald-trump-epa-drinking-water-protections-pfas 

The EPA has repealed limits on four types of “forever chemicals.”

A person holds up a glass of water
Will Waldron/Albany Times Union/Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency wants Americans to keep guzzling “forever chemicals” in their water.

The agency offered a formal proposal Monday to repeal Biden-era regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, a.k.a “forever chemicals,” because they linger in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years.

If finalized, the proposal would rescind protections against GenX, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFBS, four of the six PFAS outlined in the Biden restrictions, and delay a requirement to filter out PFAS by 2029 until 2031.

David Andrews, chief science officer for the Environmental Working Group, told The Washington Post that the decision was “a betrayal of public health and the mission of making America healthier. Safe and clean drinking water should be a right for everyone in this country.”

“Slow-walking this is really just going the wrong direction,” he added.

In addition to infuriating environmental advocates, the move is also sure to inflame the Make America Healthy Again sect of Trump supporters, who have criticized Zeldin’s willingness to allow chemical companies to dictate policy.

Trump Demands Investigation Into Blue State That Didn’t Vote for Him

Donald Trump accused Maryland of election fraud.

"I Voted" stickers in Maryland
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Thousands of Maryland residents will be receiving new mail-in ballots due to a vendor error. Yet Donald Trump has interpreted the state’s attempt to correct the switch-up as some kind of fraud.

“In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday afternoon. “So now, they’re going to send out 500,000 more Mail In Ballots, but nobody knows what’s happening with the first 500,000 they sent.”

“In addition, many of these Ballots went to Democrats, so any Republican running in Maryland doesn’t have a chance! This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore. He allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win.”

Officials with the Maryland State Board of Elections shared Monday that they believed a small number of local voters had received incorrect forms. In an attempt to ensure the “integrity and security” of the vote, state officials opted to reissue all requested mail-in ballots instead of just a few.

“Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process. With over 500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy.… That is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots,” said the Maryland state administrator of elections, Jared DeMarinis.

Nonetheless, Trump has demanded a federal investigation into the mail-in ballot switcheroo.

“It never made sense to me that Maryland was considered an automatic Democrat State, but now I see why,” Trump continued in his social media post. “I’m sure this has gone on for years. I’m going to ask the Attorney General of the United States, and the DOJ, to bring an immediate investigation into this situation.”

It’s the latest attempt by the president and his allies to seed doubt and distrust into America’s electoral process. Despite large-scale investigations that extensively debunked the MAGA movement’s initial conspiracy about the 2020 election, the Trump administration still has not let go of the pipe dream that Trump actually won his second presidential race.

Over the weekend, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed that there was a “ton of evidence that the [2020] election was rigged.”

“We’re very focused on finding out whether the right people voted,” Blanche told Fox News Sunday morning.

Jury Hands Elon Musk Embarrassing Loss Against OpenAI

Elon Musk accused Sam Altman of taking OpenAI too far from the company’s charitable principles.

Elon Musk walks into a courthouse in Oakland, California
Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

A federal jury rejected Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI Monday, in part because the statute of limitations had expired.

Musk alleged that OpenAI, including Altman and company president Greg Brockman, had breached OpenAI’s charitable trust by turning the organization into a for-profit company. He also claimed that Microsoft had aided and abetted such a breach.

An advisory jury in Oakland, California, determined that Musk had waited too long to bring his $150 billion lawsuit forward, and tossed his claim against Microsoft out along with it.

Musk filed his complaint against OpenAI in the summer of 2024, but the jury found that he was aware of the behavior discussed in his suit as far back as 2021. That puts his claim beyond the three-year statute of limitations.

The jury served in an advisory role and delivered its opinion to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who accepted the verdict. Steven Molo, Musk’s lead counsel, said that he intends to appeal the decision, though Marc Toberoff, who represented Musk in court, declined to offer a basis for that appeal, according to The New York Times.

Even if Musk’s case hadn’t been dismissed on procedural grounds, it’s not clear it would’ve been successful. When Musk took the stand last month, he somehow managed to undermine his entire case.

Trump Suggests He Was on the Brink of Breaking Iran Ceasefire

The president wrote on social media that he was prepared to attack Iran but was persuaded not to by the United States’s Gulf allies.

Donald Trump stares angrily
Al Drago/Getty Images

President Trump said that he was planning to attack Iran Tuesday, but has been convinced otherwise by the U.S.’s Gulf allies.

“I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday afternoon.

However, Trump added that while he has instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and other military leaders to hold off, he wrote that he has “further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

Trump has been alternatively issuing angry warnings and claiming that a deal is close for weeks now, so one wonders how true this post actually is. The president is also known for changing his mind as his own deadlines draw close, raising the question of whether this is a desperate ploy to pressure Iran into accepting a deal.

Earlier on Monday morning, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade urged Trump to break the current ceasefire with Iran and use military force to seize the country’s enriched uranium, target its current leaders, and retake the Strait of Hormuz. For now, at least, Trump appears not to have listened. The war has badly damaged Trump’s approval numbers, bringing them to a new second-term low. At this point, even a complete reversal may not change Americans’ minds.

How Team Trump Helps Hide How Fast He’s Aging

Donald Trump is in obvious physical decline—but you wouldn’t know it from how his team tells it.

Donald Trump wears makeup on both hands. He stands at a podium
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The president’s increasingly erratic behavior may be a sign of his rapid aging.

Donald Trump has always been loud and unfiltered; his figure, at six foot three inches tall and 224 pounds, is imposing. His penchant for drawing attention has not waned, even as he approaches his 80th birthday. By all means, Trump appears, perhaps more than ever, to be everywhere.

Yet over the last several months, Trump’s hallmark character traits have sparked global concern about his stability and judgement. The 79-year-old has spent hours at Walter Reed Medical Center, fallen asleep during more than a dozen critical meetings, appeared lost and disoriented around foreign heads of state, frequently slurred his speech, appeared with discolored and bruised skin on several occasions, has thrown cheap and petty insults at members of the press, challenged longstanding U.S. alliances, and even taken jabs at the pope.

His bombastic attitude and careless disregard is no longer instilling confidence in his base—instead, The Atlantic’s Jonathan Lemire suggests that Trump’s increasingly leaky filter could be an important warning sign about Trump’s old age.

In contrast, former President Joe Biden was visibly thinner and weaker as he approached 80. To avoid embarrassing public flubs, Biden withdrew from the spotlight, handing his aides the public-facing reins of the administration while he managed the country from a quiet White House.

Trump has not approached his second term in office with the same caution. The president regularly dominates headlines and steals the spotlight. That’s a clear attempt to create a public perception that Trump is just as fine as he’s always been—but there are major differences between the 79-year-old Trump and his 70-year-old self when he first entered office.

For one, Trump has dramatically scaled back his travel, according to Lemire. He is taking fewer foreign trips, and his domestic travel schedule has dwindled in comparison to his first term.

His “displays of disinhibition” are also more pronounced, writes Lemire. Trump’s famously unscripted rants now prominently feature multi-minute deflections or tangents on completely unrelated topics in which Trump will sometimes refer to himself in the third person.

Trump has prioritized his “executive time” in the morning, in which he binges cable television and uses his phone, and has fallen in love with $145 Florsheim loafers, swapping his dressier shoes for the soft-cushioned leather oxfords.

Trump’s team has circled the wagons: They insist repeatedly on his health and mental sharpness. Many of his Cabinet gladly wear the (poorly sized) Florsheims Trump has bought them. Lemire posited that the latter move was so Trump’s own shoes don’t stand out.

Trump has also enjoyed more leisure than ever: So far, the president has spent more than a fifth of his second term—about 21.95 percent—golfing. Trump has hit the links at least 106 times since he returned to office, which puts him on pace to exceed the 307 days he spent golfing over the course of his first term.

Former President Barack Obama, in comparison, racked up a total of 333 rounds of golf over eight years in office.

The American public is apparently wising up to Trump’s age: A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released last week found that 59 percent of Americans do not believe that Trump has the mental acuity to lead the country.

ICE Agent Charged With Four Counts of Assault in Minneapolis

The Hennepin County District Court charged ICE’s Christian J. Castro after he fired his gun at a Venezuelan immigrant and then lied about it.

woman holds up sign reading "shame" in front of four ICE agents on
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
An ICE protester in Minneapolis in January

On Monday, Hennepin County District Court charged ICE agent Christian J. Castro over the shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis on January 14—in the middle of “Operation Metro Surge”—with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

Castro had not been previously identified. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told the Minnesota Star Tribune they found out who he was thanks to medical records from Castro, who visited a hospital right after the shooting, and an interview by state law enforcement where the shooting took place.

At the time, the federal government charged Sosa-Celis and his roommate Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna with assaulting a federal officer and posted their mug shots online. Then–Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused them of “attempted murder,” and DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the pair “began to resist and violently assault the officer.” McLaughlin claimed that an unnamed ICE agent, fearing for his life, had fired a defensive shot while on the ground because he was being beaten with a shovel.

Video evidence showed that in fact, Castro was standing up and shot Sosa-Celis through the closed door of his apartment, and no shovel assault took place. After an FBI special agent testified that Castro and DHS’s account was wrong, Castro and other ICE agents were placed on administrative leave and the charges against Sosa-Chelis and Aljorna were dropped.

This is the second time an ICE agent has been charged in Hennepin County for their actions during the Trump administration’s immigration offensive in Minnesota. Last month, agent Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a weapon at drivers. But there still haven’t been charges filed over the two highest-profile ICE-related deaths from the operation, those of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“It’s just a very unique scenario,” Moriarty told the Star Tribune. “We obviously are trying to be very thoughtful and intentional. While I understand people really want accountability and they saw what they saw in the [Good and Pretti] videos, this is incredibly complex. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake if we feel something is appropriately charged and get dismissed out of federal court.”

Moriarty added that the federal government’s refusal to share even basic information with local and state agencies about Good and Pretti’s deaths hasn’t helped investigators. In March, Minnesota state prosecutors sued the federal government to force their hand.

“Think about how unprecedented that is,” Moriarty said. “The federal government won’t even give us the identification of the shooters.”

Trump’s $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Comes With Huge Disclaimer

The administration has “no liability” for what recipients do with the money—which may be important given who they’re giving it to.

Trump holds his arms out while talking
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

President Trump’s newly minted MAGA slush fund comes with a massive disclaimer that serves to absolve the administration of any future crimes their allies may commit with the taxpayer money.

The “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” approved Monday, contains roughly $1.8 billion for anyone who felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration— from January 6 rioters, to right-wing think tanks, to the president’s own super PAC. The fund also notes that once these groups have received their money the Trump administration has “no liability whatsoever for the protection or safeguarding of those funds, regardless of bank failure, fraudulent transfers, or any other fraud or misuse of the funds.”

This disclaimer allows Trump to wash his hands preemptively while this billion dollar fund will very well likely go to folks who were convicted of unlawful entry, assault, and seditious conspiracy. Some of those people have already committed crimes since they received their mass pardon from Trump.

“[This] seems like an exceptionally bad idea to give to people notoriously known for committing crimes,” the Ways and Means Committee Democrats wrote on X.

Trump’s Latest Renovation Destroys a Historic Protest Space

Donald Trump is turning a main gathering spot into a parking lot.

People protest in front of the White House in Lafayette Square Park in January 2026
Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters outside the White House in January 2026

The White House is replacing a space known for protests with a parking lot for a month of major national events—including Donald Trump’s birthday.

Over the weekend, a pedestrianized stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Lafayette Square Park was painted with yellow lines denoting parking spaces. The area has served as a viewing spot for tourists and a gathering place for protesters for two decades.

Screenshot of a tweet
Screenshot

The White House said the parking lot will last through June 28 in order to accommodate several events on the grounds for the country’s 250th anniversary.

Next month, Trump’s birthday plans include “UFC Freedom 250,” which apparently means a pricey UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn and a “fan fest” at the Ellipse. It’s the same spot where Trump once urged his followers to “fight like hell” before they stormed the U.S. Capitol. In late June, the Great American State Fair will be held at the nearby National Mall.

Lafayette Square Park, another protest spot, has been closed for months for a “major rehabilitation” and is expected to reopen on May 31, according to the National Parks Service.

It seems clear that the president, who regularly lashes out against critics, isn’t interested in getting any more angry feedback from Americans.

There’s reason to suspect that this change may not be temporary, as the Trump administration hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about the president’s other renovation plans.

The price tag for Trump’s White House ballroom skyrocketed from $200 million in private donations to $400 million, before Republicans decided to throw $1 billion sourced from American taxpayers at the project. Trump claimed last July that the project would not “interfere with the current building,” but then demolished the entire East Wing.

Fox News Wants the Iran War Ceasefire to End

Brian Kilmeade made an unpersuasive case to restart military actions on Monday.

Fox News's Brian Kilmeade glowers on TV
Noam Galai/Getty Images
Brian Kilmeade

Fox News thinks that escalating the war in Iran is the best way to end the conflict.

On Fox and Friends Monday morning, Brian Kilmeade called for sending American troops to seize Iran’s enriched uranium, seizing the Strait of Hormuz, and targeting the “bad actors that have been insincerely negotiating with our group.”

“The best chance for no casualties is you open up four different fronts immediately, simultaneously, with an army that hasn’t been paid, with the IRGC, which is being also hurt,” Kilmeade said.

Resuming attacks on Iran in this way would likely produce a response from Iran and increase the chance of U.S. military casualties. Kilmeade has no military experience or expertise on the Middle East, but being on Fox News carries weight: Trump is an avid watcher, and could very easily take this as a viable option.

Later on Monday, Trump made a long-winded post on Truth Social complaining about media coverage of the Iran war, mentioning “The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media” and claiming that even if Iran totally surrendered, the media would say it had defeated the U.S.

Trump didn’t mention Fox News in his rant, and the network continues to support the war even as other right-wing personalities have come out against it. It’s not clear what he’ll do, but the president won’t take any option that makes him look bad, even if it divides his base and is the best way forward.

Trump Has Separated Even More Families Than We Realized

Tens of thousands of U.S.-born children are no longer with their families.

A child stands in front of an ICE agent
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of children have been separated from their families during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution.

The report, released Monday, suggests that more than 145,000 children have been separated from their parents since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, an astronomical projection that far eclipses the estimated 5,500 separations that occurred during Trump’s wildly controversial “zero tolerance” policy in his first administration, reported The New York Times.

Three-quarters of those children are likely U.S. citizens, a detail that could be contributing to the previously under-reported figures, since immigrant parents are not being asked about, nor disclosing, their American-born children, according to the report.

Federal immigration agents are required to ask about the parental status of those taken into custody, as per the guidelines described in the ICE Detained Parent Directive. But anecdotal evidence obtained by the Brookings Institution suggests that they rarely do. Further still, other firsthand accounts reveal that some immigrants fear mentioning their children at all, for fear of adverse consequences for their families.

That’s caused a lack of reliable data regarding how many detainees or deportees actually have U.S. citizen children. It’s also caused a lack of reliable data regarding what happens to the children after their parents are taken into custody, according to the report.

Around 60,000 people are currently in ICE detention, according to official data. The Trump administration has arrested some 400,000 immigrants over the last year and a half.

The Department of Homeland Security has provided statistics showing 18,277 detainees with U.S. citizen children in fiscal year 2025, but that number “is almost certainly a substantial undercount,” reads the Brookings report.

To determine their own numbers, the Brookings Institution used an alternative approach that inferred the number of children based on the known demographic data of adult detainees obtained from the Detention Data Project, matching the detainees’ country, age, sex, and marital status to likely undocumented immigrants that participated in a national survey.

“This exercise implies that about 27 percent of detainees are the co-residential parent of a minor child, and 20 percent have citizen children in the home,” reads the report. “Using this method, coupled with an estimate of 400,000 detentions from interior arrests between January 20, 2025 and April 9, 2026, we estimate the total number of children affected by parental detention to be around 205,000 and the number of U.S. citizen children affected to be around 145,000.”

Those numbers are expected to grow given the $45 billion that Congress allocated via Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill to expand the country’s detention capabilities.

Exactly where all those children have gone—or who is watching over them—is not as clear. Researchers estimated that just a small fraction of the separated children end up in the foster care system, or under similar arrangements.

“We found that remarkably few end up in foster care—most children stay with friends and family who don’t have a legal obligation to care for these children,” Dr. Maria Cancian, a public policy professor at Georgetown University and one of the co-authors of the study, told the Times.

The vast majority of parent-child separations spurred by the federal government are rarely temporary—a ProPublica study that examined ICE arrests of mothers of U.S.-born children found that 60 percent had been removed from the country, while 17 percent remained in custody by the end of study itself.