Animal shelters across the United States are dealing with a surge of abandoned pets as immigration arrests and deportations pull families apart overnight. It is a crisis that often goes unnoticed, but for those involved, it feels immediate and deeply personal.
Dogs and cats are being left behind in empty homes, passed to neighbours, or surrendered to shelters that were already struggling to keep up. Many of these animals belong to families taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement under US President Donald Trump's mandate, often with little warning and no time to plan for what comes next.
