In June 2014, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reinstituted an abandoned policy of detaining children and their parents seeking asylum in the United States. Families were first held in Artesia, New Mexico, which was accurately described as a “deportation mill,” and now in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas, along with a smaller detention center in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Thousands of children and their mothers have now been held in confinement while their cases are processed, with a small portion of the families held for more than a year. The conference will examine the history of family detention, along with the various advocacy strategies, litigation‐based and otherwise, advanced to end this practice. We will also hear from law student volunteers who have engaged with detained families during or after their release from detention. Scholars will also examine the international human rights ramifications of detaining families. Finally, as we hope that the new administration will put an end to the detention of children and their mothers, we will pivot to examine the post‐release crisis. How do we ensure adequate representation for asylum‐seeking families released from detention? How do we win claims for protection in difficult jurisdictions? We will also examine the lessons learned from the massive national movement built to advocate for detained families and try to replicate our successes in representation in detained and non‐detained settings nationwide.