Unaddressed trauma of family separations and Unaccompanied minors entering the US
Thank you to Division 37 member Charissa D. Pizarro, PsyD, for cultivating these resources.
Key facts
- In 2018, there was an increase in migrant apprehensions with a total of 467,000 arrests. The spike in apprehensions is believed to be accounted for by the influx of family units entering the US (Pew Research Center, 2019). For example, in 2018, there was a total of 163,000 family units detained, a record high since 2012.
- In December 2018, 2,737 children were separated from their parents. (HHS OIG, 2019).
- Amnesty International published a report in October 2018 with revised numbers and stated that 6,000 family units were separated from April to August 2018 alone. A heaping total of about 8,000 families were reported to have been separated in 2017 and 2018 (Amnesty International, 2018).
- Children separated from families tend to be under the age of 4.
- These children remain without mental health treatment
Relevant resources
HHS OIG (2019). HHS OIG: Many children separated from parents, guardians before Ms. L v. ICE court order and some separations continue. Washington, D.C.
Muniz de la Pena, C. M., Pinada, L., & Punsky (2019). Working with parents and children separated at the border: Examining the impact of the zero-tolerance policy and beyond. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 12(2), 153-164.
Perreira, K. M., & Ornelas, I. (2013). Painful passages: Traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress among U.S. immigrant Latino adolescents and their primary caregivers. International Immigration Review, 47(4), 76-105.
Pew Research Center (2019). Border apprehensions increased in 2018 – especially for migrant families.
Amnesty International (2018). Catastrophic immigration policies resulted in more family separations than previously disclosed.
Date created: October 2024