June 9, 2026
NEW YORK – June 9, 2026 – In their first joint reporting collaboration, MS NOW and The Marshall Project have published an eye-opening investigation, released today, examining how the number of babies and toddlers held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody grew under President Trump's second term. Read the full report here.
The investigation analyzed detention data, reviewed records, and interviewed families and experts to examine how immigration detention is affecting children aged three and under, which revealed a tenfold increase since the start of the administration. According to a new analysis by The Marshall Project and MS NOW of records obtained by the Deportation Data Project, more than 500 children aged three and under have been detained by ICE since January 2025. By comparison, during the final year of the Biden administration, fewer than three babies and toddlers were held in immigration detention facilities nationwide on an average day.
Reporters from MS NOW, including anchor and senior national and political reporter Jacob Soboroff, and The Marshall Project spoke with families whose children were detained as well as experts in child welfare, health, and immigration detention. Their reporting documents the experiences of young children inside detention facilities and examines the challenges some families say persisted after their release.
The investigation marks the first project released through the recently announced reporting partnership between MS NOW and The Marshall Project. The full report is available now at www.ms.now and will air during the premiere episode of “Connect with Jacob Soboroff” on Saturday, June 13, at 10 a.m. ET. A first look will air today on “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace” at 4 p.m. ET.
In April, MS NOW announced new and expanded partnerships with The Marshall Project, The Pulitzer Center, and States Newsroom as part of a broader investment in investigative, enterprise, and local journalism. The collaboration with The Marshall Project was established to produce in-depth reporting on U.S. immigration enforcement and detention practices, including joint investigations, original field reporting, and accountability journalism that examines the impact of those policies on individuals and communities.
Additional initiatives include a grant program with The Pulitzer Center to support independent and local accountability reporting, as well as an expanded partnership with States Newsroom to strengthen coverage of state and local government and the 2026 midterm elections.
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