The AAP has joined leading health care organizations in calling for the federal government to end family detention practices within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, after it was reported that those practices had resumed.
In a joint letter sent Tuesday to President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, the groups urge federal officials to abandon any effort to detain families in ICE custody.
“Immigrant children seeking safe haven in the United States should never be placed in ICE detention facilities,” the letter states. “There is no evidence that any amount of time in detention is safe for children and detention itself poses a threat to child health. In fact, even short periods of detention can cause psychological trauma and long-term mental health risks.”
The letter was co-signed by the AAP, the American Pediatric Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Pediatric Society, the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.
The AAP policy Detention of Immigrant Children outlines harms of family separation and detention on child health, including exposure to toxic stress that can disrupt children’s brain architecture and affect their short- and long-term health.
According to the letter, studies of detained immigrants have shown that children and parents may suffer negative physical and emotional symptoms from detention, including anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
“Parents in detention centers have described regressive behavioral changes in their children, including decreased eating, sleep disturbances, clinginess, withdrawal, self-injurious behavior and aggression,” the letter states. “Detention itself undermines parental authority and the capacity to respond to their children’s needs. Further, family detention facilities have historically been unable to provide medical and mental health care that meets generally recognized standards.”
The groups add that DHS’ immigration enforcement practices should presume that detention generally is neither appropriate nor necessary for families — and that detention or the separation of families for immigration enforcement or management are never in the best interests of children.
“In every immigration policy decision affecting children and families, government decision-makers should prioritize the best health interests of the child and the entire family,” the letter states. “We are ready to work with you to ensure the health and safety of immigrant families is safeguarded.”
