Distraught women cling to their father, Luis, as ICE detains him following an immigration listening to in New York Metropolis on Aug. 26, 2025. Luis was the only real breadwinner for his household.
Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
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Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
The Photograph of the Yr is Separated by ICE by Carol Guzy, ZUMA Press, iWitness, for Miami Herald.
This {photograph} was taken inside one of many few U.S. federal buildings the place photographers had been granted entry — a single hallway the place photographer Carol Guzy and others confirmed up, day after day, to doc what was taking place. It captures a harrowing second: a household separated by the state. Luis was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers following an immigration courtroom listening to on the Jacob Ok. Javits Federal Constructing, in New York Metropolis on August 26, 2025.
Govt director of World Press Photograph, Joumana El Zein Khoury mentioned: “This image shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice. It is a stark and necessary record of family separation following the U.S. reform policies. In a democracy, the camera’s presence in that hallway serves as a witness to a policy that has turned courthouses into sites of shattered lives — it is a powerful example of why independent photojournalism matters.”
Guzy, a 4-time Pulitzer Prize winner, talked to Morning Version in regards to the photograph and the vital significance of the story worldwide. It was half of a bigger physique of labor known as Ice Arrests at New York Courtroom.
Interview Highlights
On who the persons are she has been photographing:
Asylum seekers attend their immigration courtroom hearings, at 26 Federal Plaza in New York. And ICE has been there since final Could, I believe, doing detainments and this specific household. The daddy’s identify was Luis from Ecuador, and his spouse is known as Cocha. I haven’t got the names of of his youngsters. He had two women and a younger boy, seven years previous. And the younger ladies had been 13 and 15. And the household was inconsolable with despair after they detained their father. And I do not know what’s occurred to the household now. They did not present up at a church that has been serving to these households. So, they’ve sort of fallen off the map so far as with the ability to replace.
Are you able to inform us a bit extra about the way you captured this second?
Yeah. Children and spouses are traumatized. They’re caught within the crossfire of President Trump’s mass deportation effort, which has been very controversial. As I mentioned, I have been protecting detainments for a lot of, many months and ICE brokers wait exterior courtrooms and so they have what they name targets and so they detain them as they arrive out of their courtroom hearings many instances inflicting household separations. It was one in every of many who I photographed since I have been there. And it is at all times a really chaotic scene, particularly when there are households concerned and, , there’s youngsters screaming and and it is very crowded with numerous ICE brokers. So many, many photojournalists, courtroom observers, attorneys. It is fairly a chaotic scene when it occurs.
Masked federal officers wait exterior courtrooms in New York Metropolis on July 8, 2025 holding goal images.
Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
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Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
What led you to start out documenting this?
I had coated the Republican Nationwide Conference the 12 months earlier than. And there was one second the place the gang pulled out indicators saying mass deportation now. And there was such a fervor within the crowd about it. And I spotted that Trump’s marketing campaign promise for mass deportation was most likely going to be fulfilled.
And I had wished to do one thing on immigration this 12 months. And I observed that there was entry on this courthouse. And in reality, it is unprecedented as a result of it is the one courthouse the place they’ve allowed photojournalists to doc. So I spent someday right here, truly got here to New York to cowl the mermaid parade at Coney Island, as a result of I used to be it was on my bucket listing. I had by no means been to Coney Island, however whereas I used to be right here, I went to the courthouse for someday after which six months later, I had gone there every day, , for that complete time, as a result of I believe it is so vitally essential that the cameras are there and we’ve eyes on what’s taking place in that courthouse.
You’ve coated disasters all over the world, how does protecting the immigration disaster evaluate?
It is sort of a conflict on the streets of America proper now, so far as, , the political divide and the way many individuals are being affected by these new insurance policies. And I believe it is , it is crucial for the media proper now to place a face on who’s being affected, who’s being detained and the aftershocks that the households are coping with. It is not our place to guage as press, however I believe all these images definitely elevate consciousness and so they maintain businesses and people accountable in that courthouse and maybe at instances turn out to be a voice of amplify voices of justice.
A safety guard breaks down whereas witnessing a household separation. Safety personnel often discover themselves caught between federal brokers, determined households, and protesters within the more and more unstable courthouse setting in New York Metropolis on August 20, 2025.
Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
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Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
Are you involved with any of the households that you’ve documented right now?
We truly involved with Luis’s household. They had been supposed to return to this church, that is sort of an epicenter of support for for the detainees households, however they by no means confirmed up and so they did not reply his messages. So, we have misplaced observe of them. However there are different households I have been protecting for a lot of months now. There’s three households particularly and some others that I have been attempting to comply with via their struggles with the lack of their breadwinner, which not solely causes emotional trauma however, , monetary points for all of the households and the youngsters have wanted remedy. They’ve nightmares. They’re fairly traumatized by what they witnessed on the courthouse.
You’ve got clearly acquired so many awards to your work, what does it imply to have this award?
Nicely, I believe this recognition is so essential as a result of the story is so essential. And to decide on this specific picture is symbolic of this evolving story in America at this pivotal time. And I believe it is a very highly effective assertion that they’ve chosen a picture from the story about what is going on on in America proper now.
A girl is led in shackles via the Jacob Javits constructing’s tenth ground in New York Metropolis.
Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
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Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press, iWitness for Miami Herald
What was your response to listening to that you simply received?
I used to be very shocked. And I used to be extraordinarily happy, in fact, to listen to the information. I do not suppose the award is for me. It is for the folks within the footage and everybody who’s concerned on this situation proper now.
