The Impact of Family Separation on Immigrant and Refugee Families

The current administration's zero tolerance policy that was announced on April 6, 2018, prompted separation of 2,654 children from their families per a report by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [1]. One hundred and twenty children were still in Office of Refugee Resettlement care as of Oct. 15, 2018, and another 125 made the difficult decision, in consultation with their parents who were deported, to remain separated and stay in the United States in order to pursue asylum [1]. As a pediatrician and mother, these stories have been heart-wrenching. “Separating parents from their kids contradicts everything we know about children's welfare,” says Dr. Colleen Kraft, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) [2]. The AAP in its 2017 policy statement, “Detention of Immigrant Children,” urges that separation of a parent or primary caregiver from his or her children should never occur, unless there are concerns for the child's safety at the hand of the parent. Extremely stressful experiences, including family separation, can disrupt a child's brain architecture and cause irreversible damage to lifelong development. Studies by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University have shown that persistent stress can change the brain architecture by damaging neurons in the prefrontal cortex and hippo-campus [3]. These are centers of executive function and short-term memory and regulate thoughts, emotions, and actions [3]. The resilience of immigrant families can buffer the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Family separation removes this buffering effect, subjecting children to lifelong negative effects on health…