The World Press Photo Foundation has named Separated by ICE, a photograph by independent photojournalist Carol Guzy, as its 2025 Photo of the Year. The image, taken inside New York's Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, shows two young girls desperately clinging to their father, Luis, an Ecuadorian migrant, as he is taken into custody by immigration authorities.
Guzy, who has long documented the effects of immigration policy on families, shot the photograph for the Miami Herald in August 2025. It was chosen from 57,376 entries submitted by more than 3,000 photographers worldwide. The jury praised its raw emotional intensity, describing it as a witness to policies that have turned courthouses into sites of shattered lives.
According to Luis's family, he has no criminal record and was the sole provider for the household. His wife, Cocha, and their three children—aged seven, 13, and 15—were left inconsolable, facing immediate financial hardship and profound emotional trauma. The image captures the moments before the unknown, as the father is led away.
A Stark Record of Reality
Global jury chair Kira Pollack described the photograph as evidence and a record of ground zero where a family is being separated. 'This picture is chaotic. It's terrifying. It captures a very genuine expression of fear, terror, uncertainty and powerlessness,' she said. 'What brings me into the picture, of course, are the daughters’ faces, trying to keep their father from being torn away. It allows us to look in. We cannot unsee it.'
Guzy stated that the photo should be painful to view and hopes it stirs people out of complacency. 'We bear witness to the suffering of countless families, but also to their grace, and resilience that transcends adversity,' she added. 'Their courage to open up their lives to our cameras has allowed us to tell their stories. And certainly this award belongs to them, not me.'
The award highlights the ongoing human cost of immigration enforcement, a topic that resonates across Europe as well. Similar stories of family separation have emerged at borders from the Mediterranean to the Balkans, where migrants and refugees face detention and uncertainty. The image serves as a reminder of the universal pain caused by policies that prioritize enforcement over humanity.
For European readers, the photograph echoes the experiences of families separated at Europe's external borders, such as those in Greece or Italy, or the plight of Ukrainian children forcibly displaced by war. The World Press Photo award underscores the power of visual journalism to bring these stories to a global audience, prompting reflection on the ethical and practical challenges of migration policy.
