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Some animal shelters are reporting they are seeing a number of dogs being put up for rescue because their owners have either been deported or detained on immigration-related issues.
One such animal shelter in the D.C. area is run by Amy Creel. It’s called Knine Rescue in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Creel said it received numerous inquiries in the last several weeks from families of people who were deported or detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and that they were having to give-up their dogs as a result.
“If people are ending up in detention centers being deported, they are oftentimes trying to figure out what to do with their dogs,” she said.
“A dog was surrendered to us, and the family needs all available funds for his case. In many cases it’s a financial issue, and in some cases it’s just a time issue. They’re working really hard to try to help a family member.”
Creel said most of the dogs surrendered to her, and other shelters, are in excellent health and deserve permanent, loving families.
“We have had several dozen people reach out to us just in the last month, asking if we can help with dogs that need a place to go,” she said.
Creel said her small rescue facility and others are overwhelmed, and it’s received more than two dozen dogs.
“It’s a very difficult spot, especially because the shelters and private rescues like ours are already at capacity,” Creel said, noting that shelters are sometimes left in positions to make difficult choices.
“We’re trying to take as many as we can. Sometimes we’re not able to help, and I’m honestly not sure what happens to the dogs after that. In some cases, the people are literally not here anymore, and there’s no one to care for the dogs, so they are oftentimes ending up with us.”
President Donald Trump won back the White House in 2024 in part by promising to significantly increase deportations of people the administration said were in the U.S. illegally.
In a June budget document, the Trump administration said ICE aimed to deport one million immigrants per year.
According to the White House, ICE arrested more than 100,000 people suspected of immigration violations from Inauguration Day — Jan. 20 — through the first week of June.