3-year-old suffered sexual abuse during months in immigration custody, family alleges

By — Valerie Gonzalez, Associated Press Valerie Gonzalez, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 3-year-old suffered sexual abuse during months in immigration custody, family alleges Nation Apr 6, 2026 2:08 PM EDT McALLEN, Texas — For five months, the young father waited for his 3-year-old daughter's release from federal custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mother, hoping through delays for their safe reunion. Only when he turned to the courts as a last resort did he learn that the girl had suffered alleged sexual abuse at the foster home where she'd been placed after immigration officials separated her from her mother. "She was so long in there," said her father, who is a legal permanent resident in the United States. "I just think that if they would have moved faster, nothing like that would have happened." He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to prevent identifying his daughter as a victim of sexual abuse. President Donald Trump's administration began targeting detained immigrant children, like the man's daughter, last year when it implemented new rules and procedures, which were immediately followed by a dramatic jump in detention times. The federal government intensified efforts to expand family detention indefinitely by motioning to terminate a cornerstone policy ensuring the protection of immigrant children in federal custody. For months after the girl was placed in foster care, her father's attempts to be reunited stalled as the government told him it couldn't make an appointment to take his fingerprints. During that time, according to court documents, the girl said she was sexually abused by an older child staying with her in foster care in Harlingen, Texas. A caregiver noticed the child's underwear was on backward, according to the lawsuit. The girl then told the caregiver she was abused multiple times and it caused bl...