The image by Carol Guzy, winner of the 2026 World Press Photo, freezes a moment of family pain in a New York courthouse. Luis's children, an Ecuadorian migrant, cry as ICE agents separate him from them after a hearing. The scene, which occurred in August 2025, encapsulates the tension of an immigration system that distinguishes neither age nor bonds.
The algorithm of separation: databases and risk profiles 🤖
Behind every detention lies a digital process that classifies migrants. ICE employs predictive analysis systems that cross-reference data from hearings, backgrounds, and legal status. These algorithms, fed by government records, assign arrest priorities. The technology allows orders to be executed with surgical precision, but it does not account for emotional variables such as the presence of minors. The result is an efficient machine that separates families without room for human error.
If you cry in the app, ICE doesn't hear you 😢
While Luis's children soaked the case file with their tears, some government programmer was celebrating having reduced case processing time by 15%. The artificial intelligence that decides their fate has no sensors to detect a child's crying. Perhaps the next step is to add a virtual panic button: Cry here to delay deportation. But since the system is so efficient, it will most likely redirect the complaint to the recycle bin.