Separated: Inside an American Tragedy

Donald Trump's most notorious decision as president had secretly been in effect for months before most Americans became aware of the astonishing inhumanity being perpetrated by their own government—the deliberate separation of migrant parents and children at U.S. border facilities. Jacob Soboroff was among the first journalists to expose this reality after seeing firsthand the living conditions of the children in custody.

But beyond the headlines, the complete story lay untold. Developing sources from within the Trump administration who share critical details for the first time, Soboroff reveals how such a humanitarian tragedy--now deemed "torture" by physicians--happened on U.S. soil.

He also traces the dramatic odyssey of one family from Guatemala, where their lives were threatened by narcos, as they seek asylum at the U.S. border, where they were separated—the son ending up in Texas, and the father thousands of miles away, in the Mojave desert of central California. Soboroff then joins the heroes who emerged to challenge the policy, and who worked on the ground to reunite parents with children.

In this essential reckoning, Soboroff weaves together these key voices with his own experience covering this national issue—at the border in Texas, California, and Arizona; with administration officials in Washington, D.C., and inside the disturbing detention facilities. Separated lays out the human toll, and makes clear what is at stake for America.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist | American Book Award Winner | American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award Finalist