>> Eric: HEADLINE IN THE SAHAN JOURNAL THIS WEEK ANNOUNCED MORE THAN 70 MINNESOTA CHILDREN WERE DETAINED IN OPERATION METRO SURGE.

THAT NUMBER INCLUDES 5-YEAR-OLD LIAM RAMOS, WHOSE PHOTO, WEARING A BLUE BUNNY HAT BEING TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, WENT VIRAL.

AT THE TIME NO ONE KNEW HOW MANY OTHER CHILDREN HAD BEEN TAKEN BY FEDERAL AGENTS.

TO FIND THE NSWER, THE SAHAN JOURNAL ANNUALIZED ICE I.C.E.

DETENTION DATA AND COURT PETITIONS FROM MINNESOTA AND TEXAS AND HEARD DETENTION STORIES FROM FAMILIES, CHILDREN, AND IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS.

BECKY CONCERNBACH, WAS THE MAIN REPORTER ON THE STORY.

WELCOME BACK.

WELL, THE PICTURE OF LITTLE LIAM WAS ICONIC BUT HE WASN'T ALONE.

>> NO, HE WASN'T.

YEAH, I FOUND A PETITION FROM MANKATO THE DAY BEFORE LIAM'S ARREST OF ANOTHER 5-YEAR-OLD BEING DETAINED AT THE WAL-MART PARKING LOT WITH HIS MOTHER.

YES, IN SOME WAYS VERY SIMILAR STORY, SENT TO DILLEY DETENTION CENTER IN TEXAS.

THEY CONFISCATED HIS DINOSAUR TOY.

AND THAT WAS JUST THE DAY BEFORE LIAM WAS DETAINED.

>> Cathy: ARE THERE STILL KIDS WHO ARE DETAINED?

>> YEAH.

SO, THE DATA I HAVE IS, AS OF MARCH 10th, AND IT SHOWED THAT AT LEAST SEVEN KIDS WERE STILL IN DETENTION AS OF THAT DAY.

AND TWO OF THOSE WERE GIRLS WHO SPENT TIME AT DILLEY, FIVE OF THEM WERE TEEN BOYS WHO DIDN'T HAVE A LOCATION LISTED, AND I SPOKE TO ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING TWO OTHER TEEN BOYS HORN DETAINED ALONE, AND -- BOYS WHO WERE DETAINED ALONE AND SENT TO CHRISTIAN YOUTH CENTERS IN MICHIGAN.

SO I ASKED THE SHELTERS IF THEY STILL HAD ANY MINNESOTA KIDS, AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T REALLY CONFIRM THAT.

DHS WOULDN'T CONFIRM IT EITHER.

>> Eric: WHAT KIND OF CONDITIONS DID THE CHILDREN FACE?

>> WELL, THERE WERE A COUPLE DIFFERENT PLACES THAT THE KIDS WERE SENT.

IN DILLEY, THE DETENTION CENTER IN TEXAS, FOR FAMILIES.

THERE WERE ABOUT 30 MINNESOTA KIDS SENT THERE.

AND THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT SPOILED FOOD THAT THE KIDS WERE REFUSING TO EAT, BAD DRINKING WATER THAT WAS MAKING THEM SICK, THERE WAS A MEASLES OUTBREAK DOWN THERE.

NOT EVERYBODY WAS SENT TO DILLEY.

THERE WERE SOME KIDS WHO WERE SENT TO HOTELS.

I TALKED TO THE FAMILY OF A 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL, WHO THEY WERE DETAINED IN A HOTEL FOR A FEW DAYS.

AND THE CONDITIONS IN THE HOTEL, THEY SAID, ERE NOT BAD, THE PROBLEM WAS THEY WERE CONFINED TO A HOTEL ROOM.

THEY HAVE THIS 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH ADHD WHO WANTS TO BE OUT RUNNING AROUND, JUMPING, PLAYING, JUST STARING OUT THE WINDOW, CONFINED TO THIS HOTEL ROOM FOR DAYS.

AND SIMILARLY, THE KIDS WHO WERE SENT TO MICHIGAN, THEY SOUNDED KIND OF BORED, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION, IT WASN'T THAT THEIR BASIC NEEDS WEREN'T MET E BUT THESE ARE KIDS WHO WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND THEY WERE SENT HERE ALONE, THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG THEY'RE GOING TO BE THERE, THEY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO SEE THEIR FAMILIES AGAIN.

SO THE CONDITIONS VARY.

BUT THERE'S TRAUMA ACROSS ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXPERIENCES.

>> Eric: YEAH, I WONDER, IN THE EXPERTS -- SOME OF THE EXPERTS IN YOUR STORY TALKED ABOUT LONG-LASTING EFFECT, MENTALLY, I SUPPOSE.

>> YES, YES, PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA THAT COULD CARRY ON FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T EVEN BORN YET OF THESE KIDS.

AND, YEAH, IN THE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE HAD SEVEN KIDS WHO WERE DETAINED, SIX OF THEM WENT TO DILLEY, ONE ENDED UP RETURNING TO ECUADOR, AND FIVE ARE BACK -- SIX ARE BACK IN SCHOOL.

ONE WAS DETAINED TEMPORARILY IN THE WHIPPLE BUILDING.

SO THEY'RE REALLY SEEING, YOU KNOW, A GOOD GROUP OF KIDS THAT THEY'RE HELPING WITH THEIR TRAUMA, THEY'RE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS' RESPONSE TO TRAUMA REALLY VARIES BY THEIR AGE.

THE OLDER KIDS ARE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THE YOUNGER KIDS ARE YELLING, SCREAMING, KICKING, JUST ACTING OUT.

AND ALSO FINDING, YOU KNOW, BRIGHT LIGHTS, TRAUMATIZING, BECAUSE IN DILLEY THEY KEEP THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ON ALL NIGHT, THEY'RE SLEEPING IN THE BRIGHT CONDITIONS, LOUD NOISES, SIRENS, WHISTLES.

JUST A LOT OF TRAUMA TRIGGERS FOR THESE KIDS.

>> Cathy: DO YOU KNOW WHETHER THESE KIDS -- DO WE KNOW WHO'S BEEN DEPORTED, WHO HAS SELF-DEPORTED?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: ARE THERE NUMBERS ON THAT?

>> YES, THERE ARE.

SO OF THE 70 PLUS KIDS WHO WERE DETAINED, ABOUT 20 OF THEM WERE DEPORTED.

ABOUT TEN SELF-DEPORTED, OR THEIR FAMILIES SELF-DEPORTED.

AND, YEAH, THEN THE SEVEN, LIKE I SAID, AT LEAST SEVEN THAT ARE STILL IN DETENTION.

>> Eric: WERE ANY OF THE OLDER TEENAGERS BAD ACTORS OR HAD CRIMINAL WARRANTS OR SOMETHING AGAINST THEM?

>> NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF.

>> Eric: THESE ARE ALL INNOCENT YOUNG PEOPLE?

>> YEAH, THERE WAS A KID WHO WAS DETAINED, HE LEFT DINNER ON A FRIDAY -- HE LEFT HOME ON A FRIDAY NIGHT TO PICK UP DINNER FOR HIS FAMILY, AND WAS PICKED UP IN MINNEAPOLIS IN JANUARY.

IT WASN'T -- BUT THE ATTORNEYS I TALKED TO SAID THAT THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL AND THAT IN PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS, CHILDREN JUST WERE NOT DETAINED, CHILDREN WHO WERE ALREADY INSIDE THE COUNTRY, WHEN YOU'RE ENTERING THE COUNTRY, THERE'S SOMETIMES A TEMPORARY DETENTION PROCESS WHILE YOUR APPLICATION FOR ASYLUM OR WHATEVER THE LEGAL PROCESS IS IS BEING PROCESSED, BUT ONCE KIDS ARE INSIDE THE COUNTRY, THEY TYPICALLY DON'T GET DETAINED.

SO, THIS IS A NEW AND AGGRESSIVE TACTIC, THEY'RE SAYING.

>> Cathy: THERE'S OTHER EXCELLENT REPORT FROM SAHAN JOURNAL, ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES TALKS ABOUT HOW ASYLUM CASES ARE INCREASINGLY BEING DENIED.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: AT WHIPPLE.

I WONDER, I CAN'T IMAGINE THE UNCERTAINTY THAT THESE FAMILIES AND THESE KIDS ARE GOING THROUGH.

>> YES.

AND, SO, SOME OF THESE KIDS ARE COMING BACK, YOU NOW, LIKE I SAID, ABOUT 20 HAVE BEEN DEPORTED.

SO FAR.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS WHO ARE BACK, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY, YOU KNOW, IN THE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT, THERE ARE A FEW KIDS WHO ARE TILL FACING ACTIVE DEPORTATION CASES AND, YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN OR HOW LONG THEY'LL BE ABLE TO STAY.

AND SOMETIMES BEING DETAINED WILL TRIGGER A COURT PROCESS, SO THEY'LL HAVE A HEARING MORE QUICKLY AND, YEAH, IT'S UNCERTAIN AND SCARY.

AND, I MEAN, THESE FAMILIES LEFT OF FOR A REASON.

YOU KNOW.

AND THEY OFTEN DON'T WANT TO GO BACK.

>> Eric: ARCHIVED ON THE SAHAN JOURNAL WEBSITE.

>> YES.

>> Eric: FOR FOLKS WHO WANT TO TAKE A LOOK.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S YOUR NEXT STEPS WITH THIS STORY?

I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF TENTACLES YOU'RE GOING TO BE FOLLOWING.

>> YEAH, I'M EAGER TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE KIDS WHO ARE STILL DETAINED.

AND, YEAH, HOPING TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.

>> Eric: CONGRATULATIONS.

THANKS FOR COM