What Research Shows About Long-Term Psychological Damage Of Immigrant Children Being Detained Indefinitely

There's ample research that exists that confirms the negative mental health impact of children being held in institutionalized settings. “The longer it goes on, the more damage is inflicted," says Jack Shonkoff, who directs the Harvard Center for the Developing Child.

The Trump administration plans to detain immigrant children who enter the U.S. illegally with their families with no deadline for release, ending a long-standing settlement that capped the detention of immigrant children at 20 days. The government says holding children in the facilities is for their own safety and well-being. But child advocates and pediatric health experts are outraged and say these children and their needs are being neglected and whole families left traumatized. (Santhanam, 8/22)

The Trump administration's regulation allows the longterm detention of migrant children. But immigration and health experts warn this could have devastating impacts on the children's mental health. (Chatterjee, 8/22)

In related news —

A federal judge in San Diego approved Thursday a request from the Department of Homeland Security to force-feed and hydrate an immigrant detainee on hunger strike. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the 41-year-old man, a Russian citizen, has not eaten since Aug. 4 and has consumed only water, though he has refused to tell officials at the ICE facility how much. (Daugherty, 8/22)

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