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Cynthia Montoya

Professor Hellmers

English 1201-521

14 April 2019

Saving Immigrant Children

For many years families have immigrated to the U.S seeking asylum or better

opportunities. Immigration is the act of traveling to a foreign country to live there which is not

the person’s native country (“Immigration.”). Immigration policies enforce the prosecution of

incoming immigrants or those living in the United States, however, recently these policies have

been separating families within the U.S. and at the borders. Hundreds of families flee their home

country and their devastating living conditions to the U.S in hope of a better life for their

children. According to a New York Times article a young woman named Mirian traveled from

Honduras to the U.S seeking asylum from the violence in her home country. Her 18-month-old

child was taken from her and many other children, approximately 700, have been separated from

parents (Dickerson). A great number of families are separated at the U.S border, however,

children born from immigrants and living in the U.S are also affected by immigration policies.

Immigration Policies or Immigration Laws “determine who may enter a country, how

long they may stay and when they must leave” (US Legal). This means that immigration

policies/laws determine who may enter a new country, become a new citizen, and how long a

person can stay in a foreign country. Recently U.S immigration laws/policies have been

separating families at the border, others are being detained, and families already within the U.S

have also been affected. Immigration policies are prosecuting undocumented immigrants and in

the process many children are becoming exiles or orphans. Luis H. Zayas writes that exiles are
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“children who leave with their parents to another unfamiliar country” and orphans are “children

whose parents leave them in the U.S in the care of others” (Zayas). Children who become exiles

or orphans can go through a great change in their lives. Immigration policies affect children's

lives forever it could be a long- or short- term effect.

U.S immigrants come from various countries including Asia, Mexico, Latin America, and

India (Zong). Immigration policies affect children as much as they affect immigrant parents

being prosecuted. According to Hannah Mathews, parents live in fear and change their lifestyle

which alters the kid’s daily routines and rising fear (Matthews). There is a lot of news about

families separated the U.S border, however, children greatly affected by family separation,

including U.S citizen children born from immigrants. Although immigration policies enforce the

prosecution of incoming immigrants, they lead to family separation and anxiety among children.

Immigration policies should not be enforced on children because they lead to trauma, emotional

turmoil, and a lack of development.

Immigration policies enforced by the U.S are intended in place to prosecute illegal

immigrants entering the U.S. These policies lead to family separation among families that are

within the U.S or entering the U.S illegally. Recently many families have been separated at the

country’s border which causes children continuous trauma. According to Benjamin Roth, who is

a writer for The Village Voice, continuous trauma is seen in children because they are fleeing

violence, from their home country, and then encounter suddenly being separated from their

parents due to immigration policies (Roth). This means that many children arrive in the U.S with
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a whole load of traumatic experience and separation from their parents add to their trauma.

Immigration policies have recently separated hundreds of families at the U.S border.

Fig.
1.
This
graph

illustrates the number of families and unaccompanied children that have been
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apprehended at the U.S border from 2012-2018. People are fleeing appalling conditions
encountered in their native countries. (Isacson)

Hundreds of children are experiencing trauma and traumatic stress in the U.S. Children

that are separated from their parents due to immigration policies experience the most trauma and

traumatic stress. Martin H. Teicher emphasizes that the greatest trauma a child can experience is

being separated from their parents who are their main supporters and caretakers (Teicher).

Young children need their parents for comfort and losing their parents is very traumatic for most

children. Family separation causes a great amount of trauma among children, however, reuniting

children with parents will not reverse the great effect trauma caused and the children’s

experiences (Teicher). This means that children will live in fear even after being reunited with

their parents because of the trauma they experienced when deprived of the support and protection

provided by their parents.

The environment and conditions the children are in after entering the U.S can also expose

children to a great amount of trauma. After families are separated from children of all age are

taken to facilities across the United States. The conditions of these facilities also cause children a

lot of trauma in their early years. Benjamin J. Roth, a well-known author for The Village Voice,

points out that many facilities do not have efficient supplies to take care of hundreds of children

who long for their parents or have arrived as unaccompanied minors (Roth). A great number of

children are not reunited with their parents or their parents cannot be located (Roth). The

environment and conditions hundreds of children encounter in these facilities can lead to

unwanted trauma.

Immigration policies disturb children’s emotions when they are in constant fear or a

sudden change occurs that disturbs their emotions. A sudden change in a child’s life causes their
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emotions to abnormally fluctuate, this is emotional turmoil. Although children are small and do

not understand everything that goes on they still fear that their parents will be taken away

because of Immigration policies in the U.S. According to an article on Clasp, young children are

aware of the anti-immigrant sentiment and they are aware of the possibility of losing one or both

parents “children as young as three are deeply aware of the Trump Administration’s anti-

immigrant sentiment and the possibility of losing a parent.” (Matthews). This leads fear to

control a child's daily life because they are afraid about what might happen to their parents or

family. Children of mixed-status families and even U.S citizen children expressed fear because

of what they hear around about immigration policies (Matthews). Immigration policies can affect

U.S citizen children born to immigrants and immigrant children because it leads to constant fear

affecting children’s lives.

Children also experience a variety of different emotions due to immigration policies and

the constant fear within a child. Hannah Matthews, a writer for the Clasp, observes that other

than fear young children have also experienced an increase in aggression and separation anxiety

(Matthews). Constant fear can lead a child to experience many emotions that are negatively

affected their lives. All of these new emotions are altering a child’s daily routines. separation

anxiety has increased in children due to the fear that immigration policies will separate their

family (Matthews). The loss of emotional stability among a family causes children to experience

a wide range of new emotions in their lives. Anxiety, constant fear, and separation anxiety leads

to a child being in constant emotional turmoil.

A wide variety of other emotions can also be experienced by a child caused by

immigration policies. Emotional stability in a child’s life leads them to flourish and go out of

their comfort zone. When their emotional stability is altered a child is left in an emotional
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struggle with a variety of new emotions (Prihoda). Fear is not the only emotion that constantly

affects children. According to Katherine, a pediatric nurse practitioner, a child can show feelings

of abandonment, anger, worry, guilt, and sadness (Prihoda). This means that the immigration

policies cause children’s emotions to be in constant change which can lead to long- and short-

term effects in their lives.

The sudden change that children are going through because of immigration laws affects

their life development. Children’s emotions and lives are altered which can have a lasting impact

on their health and lives. The shelters where the children stay during family separation is the

main source of toxic stress. Greg Rienzi’s article emphasizes the idea that children of small age

were shown to be victims of toxic stress in shelters (Rienzi). When a child experiences a long

period of stress their body responds by increasing the hormone known as cortisol which is the

fight-or-flight chemicals in our brain and the brain reduces other chemicals (Rienzi). According

to Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the presence of a parent

helps balance the hormones that a child’s brain is producing irregularly (Rienzi). This means that

if the hormones are not balanced a child's brain can be greatly affected preventing development

in motor function, speech and language, and social and emotional bonds. Kraft quotes, “the

younger the child and the longer the separation, the greater the trauma and long-term mental

health effects, even after a child is reunited with their parents.” (Rienzi). Many children are not

reunited with their parents and they suffer tremendous mental effects that impair their

development. Immigration policies have separated hundreds of children from their parents

causing a tremendous effect on children’s health and development that will affect their lives

forever.
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Fig. 2. This image has caused a lot of controversies. This image illustrates a little girl
crying and she is devastated as the officer is searching her mother. The little girl’s
expression is very intense and powerful towards showing the causes of immigration
policies on children. (Kirby)

Immigration policies do not have to be directly targeted children for them to be affected.

These policies bring fear to parents who then act accordingly which can affect their children.

Undocumented immigrant families fear immigration policies that they fear leaving their homes if

it is not necessary (Matthews). This means that children do not receive proper health care or

education and eventually children are also in constant fear for what might occur. The daily

routines of families are altered and lead to children not receiving the proper resources. The

constant fear in parents coincides with “children losing access to health care, nutrition services,

and early care and education” (Matthews) which are needed for success. Children are very

attentive and they are affected by their parent's behavior and emotions. This leads to an effect on

children’s brain development because they are exposed to constant fear and anxiety at home

(Matthews). Immigration policies affect undocumented people, however, if they are parents their

children are greatly affected as well.

Family separation is caused by immigration policies and children’s development is

altered. Separating children from their families can cause trauma and affect them emotionally,

however, their development is also altered by immigration policies. Studies have proven that

having a parent present benefits children socially, psychologically, emotionally, physically, and

academically (Prihoda). However, when children are separated from their parents most children
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do not stay in contact with their parents and causes their development to be affected. According

to Katherine, a pediatric nurse practitioner, “when children are protected, they flourish because

they feel safe enough to explore, mature, learn, and grow.” (Prihoda). Family separation causes a

child to feel insecure, which Katherine states “threatens their development and exploration of the

world.” (Prihoda). Children experience a variety of new experiences due to immigration policies.

These experiences shape children's lives and sometimes irreversible damage being done to a

child’s brain affected their overall development.

Immigration policies affect children greatly because they experience trauma, they are in

constant emotional turmoil, which leads to their lives being changed. These policies have two

types of effects on children: short-term effects, affecting them at the moment, and long-term

effects which usually result in a child's life being affected. Short- term effects can vary from

child to child, however, most short-term effects are seen when children are separated from their

parents. When a child arrives at a facility without their parents they experience a wide variety of

emotions. Short- term effects of immigration policies would include sadness, grief, anger,

isolation, and oppositional behavior or defiant behaviors (Prihoda). These effects are commonly

seen in children that have been separated from their family and is now in a facility or foster care.

Fear would also be short- term effect in children because of what they hear about immigration

policies and they fear what may occur to their family (Matthews). These short-term effects only

affect children in one moment and for a short period of time, however, immigration policies also

have long-term effects that can affect a child’s life, development, and health.

Long-term effects occur on a greater scale and their entire lives are altered, these usually

occur from short-term effect. Incoming immigrant children are taken into facilities and most are

separated from their parents. The treatment that children receive at the U.S border will affect
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their lives forever. Children are separated from their families and taken to facilities where they

become victims of toxic stress. Toxic stress is a short-term effect that can lead to a much greater

long-term effect on children. Long periods of stress can disrupt the development of a child’s

brain (Rienzi). This would also prevent a child from form further developing “speech and

language, fine motor function, and social and emotional bonds” (Rienzi). Long terms effects

affect children even after they are reunited with their parents, for example, the younger the child

and the longer time they are separated from their parents can lead to greater trauma and long-

term mental health effects among children (Rienzi). These are a few long-term effects that occur

in children due to immigration policies forcibly separating them from their families.

The long-term effects of immigration policies also vary from child to child. Children’s

experiences in facilities can affect their development, however, for some children being

separated from their parents can prevent them to flourish, mature, learn, and explore out of their

comfort zones. Most children benefit from having their parents present in their daily lives,

especially younger children (Prihoda). Immigration policies also affect children that have not yet

been separated from their parents. Parents that have immigrated to the U.S live in fear because of

what might happen to their family due to immigration policies. Parents change their daily

routines and children do not receive the sufficient healthcare or other resources they needed for

success (Matthews). When parents have to leave the country due to immigration policies they are

forced to leave their children in which they become orphans or they take their children with them

to a foreign country they do not know, known as exiles (Zayas). The health and lives of these

two types of children are affected by immigration policies even though they are U.S citizens.

Immigration policies affect children’s health, development, and lives forever even if they are not

intended to.
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Immigration policies are different in European countries than immigration policies in the

U.S. Many European countries have a numerous amount of unaccompanied minors entering the

country. Many of the children suffer from PTSD, anxiety, or depression due to the living

conditions in their homeland and the new experiences they encounter in a new country.

However, in most countries, all refugees or incoming children have the right to medical care,

protection, and education regarding their nationality (Hodes). Unaccompanied minors that arrive

in other countries are provided with healthcare and medical care, however, undocumented

children in the U.S are being separated from their parents and their entire lives are altered.

Although the U.S does provide DACA for undocumented children who came to the U.S as

children and prevents them from deportation, a greater number of children are being affected by

these policies at the border and living within the United States. Action can be taken so that

immigration policies do not affect children’s life and health.

Many people believe that immigration policies protect the U.S from undocumented

people. Undocumented immigrants are always believed to be drug dealers or people that come to

the U.S to do harm. Immigration policies are in place to protect citizens from unlawful people

coming from other nations. However, immigration policies are affecting children’s lives. These

laws are supposed to protect the country from undocumented immigrants, however, children

from mixed-status families are also greatly affected. Over time more children are born to

undocumented and documented immigrants. Jie Zong writes, in the article from

Migrationpolicy.org, that in the last couple of years, “approximately 18.2 million children under

age 18 lived with at least one immigrant parent” (Zong). Out of those 18.2 children, “88 percent

were born in the U.S and the other 12 percent was born outside the U.S.” (Zong). Children

within the U.S are being affected by immigration policies even if it's just the simple act of taking
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one parent away. Immigration policies are not aimed directly at children, however, hundreds of

children’s lives are being turned upside down because of immigration policies. Even if those

children are coming undocumented from another country or living within the U.S their lives are

equally affected.

Hundreds of families travel a long distance to the United States. People emigrate from

multiple different countries, including China, Asia, India, Mexico, and Latin America (Zong).

Most people travel these long distances with their children because they are fleeing violence or

appalling conditions in their home countries. Most immigrants come to the U.S to provide a

better life for themselves and children. Instead, when they reach the border children are separated

from their parents and their entire lives are turned upside down. Children are not only being

affected at the U.S border they are also being affected within the U.S by these policies.

Immigration policies are also affecting the lives of U.S citizen children who have immigrant

parents. Hundreds of children are being affected by immigration policies because they are

experiencing trauma, they are emotional turmoil, and their life development is altered.

Overall, immigration policies affect a large number of children, including children with

immigrant parents who live in the U.S and children at the U.S border. Immigration policies are

not intended to hurt children, however, when the parents are prosecuted children’s lives are also

affected. People believe that these policies keep criminals and drug dealers from entering the

U.S, however, these policies are hurting more innocent children and families. Immigration

policies are affecting children because they lead to trauma, emotional turmoil, and the

development of a child is altered.

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Work Cited

Dickerson, Caitlin. “Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S.

Border.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2018

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/us/immigrant-children-separation-ice.html

Accessed on 1 March 2019.

Hodes, Matthew, et al. “Refugees in Europe: National Overviews from Key Countries with a

Special Focus on Child and Adolescent Mental Health.” European Child & Adolescent

Psychiatry, vol. 27, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 389–399. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00787-

017-1094-8. Accessed on 2 March 2019.

“Immigration.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigration. Accessed on 20 March, 2019

Isacson, Adam. “The U.S. Government's 2018 Border Data Clearly Shows Why the Trump
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Administration Is on the Wrong Track.” WOLA, 9 Nov. 2018, www.wola.org/analysis/us-

government-2018-border-data-trump-immigration-asylum-policy/. Accessed on 6 April

2019.

Kirby, Jen. “Time's Crying Girl Photo Controversy, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 22 June 2018,

www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/22/17494688/time-magazine-cover-crying-

girl-photo-controversy-family-separation. Accessed on 6 April 2019.

Matthews, Hannah, et al. Immigration Policy’s Harmful Impacts on Early Care and Education.

Mar. 2018, Clasp, Accessed on 20 March, 2019

www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2018/03/2018_harmfulimpactsece.pdf

Prihoda, Katherine. “Why Are Children the Casualties of the Immigration ‘No Tolerance’

Policy?” Nursing Economic$, vol. 36, no. 4, July 2018, pp. 161–162. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=ccm&AN=131366438&site=eds-live. Accessed on 15 March 2019.

Rienzi, Greg. “Separated: Toxic Stress and Child Development under 'Zero-Tolerance'

Immigration Policies.” The Hub, 18 Sept. 2018,hub.jhu.edu/2018/09/18/family-

separation-child-development/. Accessed on 2 March 2019.

Roth, Benjamin J., et al. “'Continuous Trauma': What It's Like for Immigrant Kids Separated

From Their Families.” Village Voice, 9 July 2018,

www.villagevoice.com/2018/07/09/continuous-trauma-what-its-like-for-immigrant-kids-

separated-from-their-families/. Accessed on 1 March 2019.

Teicher, Martin H. “Childhood Trauma and the Enduring Consequences of Forcibly Separating

Children from Parents at the United States Border.” BMC Medicine, no. 1, 2018.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s12916-018-1147-y. Accessed on 2 March 2019.

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US Legal, Inc. “Immigration Law and Legal Definition.” Immigration Law and Legal Definition

| USLegal, Inc., definitions.uslegal.com/i/immigration/

Zayas, Luis H., and Mollie H. Bradlee. “Exiling Children, Creating Orphans: When Immigration

Policies Hurt Citizens.” Social Work, vol. 59, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 167–175. EBSCOhost,

doi:sw/swu004. Accessed on 2 March 2019.

Zong, Jie, et al. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United

States.”Migrationpolicy.org, 14 Mar. 2019

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-

immigrants-and-immigration-united-states Accessed on 20 March, 2019.