AP finds that dozens of kids separated during / Trump’s first administration faced separation again

From festering infections to untreated cancers, AP-KFF Health News collaboration reveals scope and depth of medical neglect in ICE custody

Claire Galofaro and Aaron Kessler

We honor two immigration stories as the Best of AP first winners this week. Both strong exclusives were paired with compelling visuals and demonstrated expertise in sourcing, rich analysis, smart use of AI and months of detailed reporting. The first found that the Trump administration has separated dozens of children from their parents for a second time. The second, a collaboration between the AP and KFF Health News, revealed hundreds of credible allegations of medical neglect in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers.

Stretching across the U.S. and Guatemala, the AP was granted exclusive access to a family that experienced being separated during President Donald Trump’s first administration only to be faced with separation again. This skillfully composed report offered cross-format storytelling led by investigative journalist Garance Burke. Correspondent Sonia Pérez and photojournalist Moisés Castillo, who shot photos and video, drove 10 hours to a remote location in a Guatemalan hamlet to meet with a family willing to be interviewed, building trust with them over several meetings.

In a sudden change of events during our coverage, the government permitted the family to return to the U.S. Florida-based photographers Rebecca Blackwell and Marta Lavandier hustled to capture video and photos of the moment of return filled with raw emotion. Video journalist Cody Jackson also contributed to the powerful video produced by Manuel Valdes.

The investigation was the first to reveal that over 11,800 parents, children and their relatives were impacted by separation under Trump’s first administration, and was based on interviews with dozens of immigration attorneys, former and current government officials, and more than a dozen separated family members.

Our second winner took audiences deeper into the physical turmoil of medical neglect in ICE custody. A remarkable collaboration between AP immigration reporter Claire Galofaro and data reporter Aaron Kessler led a massive team effort with KFF Health News to weave together first-person accounts, data analysis, visuals and an interactive satellite map to illuminate hundreds of allegations of medical neglect in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in 33 states.

Kessler worked with counterparts at KFFHN to identify more than 300 credible cases using an AI search product, with reporters then verifying details. A team of AP reporters, photographers, video journalists and digital contributors worked seamlessly to illustrate the story by visiting former detainees and producing impactful visuals.

The judges were impressed by both examples of exceptional journalism that sensitively and expertly showed the human impact of the immigration crackdown.

Burke, Pérez, Castillo, Galofaro and Kessler win this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.