Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rebecca Bell, MD, of Burlington, who is a pediatric critical care physician at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and vice president-elect to the Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The comments or opinions expressed here are her own and should not be taken as a statement, opinion, position or endorsement by the University of Vermont or University of Vermont Medical Center.
[T]his past Saturday, hundreds of thousands of protesters across the United States gathered to show support for children seeking safe haven in this country from violence. Among the protesters opposing recent changes in immigration policy were pediatricians and other child health experts.
For years, pediatricians in Vermont and across the United States have spoken out in opposition to the mistreatment of immigrant children at the southern border. The American Academy of Pediatrics has vigorously opposed the detention of immigrant children as it is an unnecessary trauma inflicted on children who have already experienced traumatic events. The recent enactment of a “zero tolerance” policy by the Trump administration has resulted in an alarming increase in the detention of children crossing the southern border. Over 2,000 children have been separated from their parents since early May. The administration has promised to end the forceful separation of children from parents but vows to continue the harmful practice of placing families in detention.
The negative short- and long-term health effects of detention are well-known to pediatricians and child health experts. These effects include regressive behavioral changes with disturbances in sleep, appetite and mood. Long-term effects of toxic stress can result in depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as chronic health conditions like heart and lung disease.
In order to inform policy with the most up-to-date and comprehensive science on the consequences of toxic stress on the developing brain, Vermont pediatrician and editor of the journal Pediatrics, Dr. Lewis First, has made available collection of articles on the topic. He and the staff at Pediatrics hope that open access to these important scientific papers will allow policymakers to fully understand the negative consequences that both detention and family separation have on children.
It is important to remember that the vast majority of children crossing the southern border (unaccompanied or with their families) are fleeing violence. Most children detained at the southern border have fear sufficient to merit protection under international law. As pediatricians, we bear witness to the incredibly powerful bond between parents and children every day in our practice. We know that parents are willing to go to great lengths to protect their children and provide them with a safe and nurturing environment. Every day in our clinics and in our hospitals we tell parents that by providing love, comfort and a safe environment for their children, they are fulfilling the most important parenting goal. But for some families, especially those in the nearby Northern Triangle of Central America, this is a near impossible endeavor. It is no surprise that parents who face certain violence would choose to seek a safe haven for their children. It is in this context that most children reach our southern border. They are not immigrating so much as they are fleeing. Violent and traumatic experiences are common in this population and we have a duty to mitigate further trauma to these children.
The members of the Vermont Chapter of the AAP continue to stand with our pediatrician colleagues across the country in opposing detention of immigrant children. Rather than separating children from their caregivers or detaining children in family detention centers, children and their families should be placed in community-based case management programs while their case is processed. In the past, these programs have allowed children to learn and grow in a supportive environment.
We thank our political leaders here in Vermont who have spoken out against the mistreatment of children at the border and we urge the Vermont congressional delegation to continue to vote against legislation that allows for prolonged detention of children or rolls back protections for asylum seekers.
Pediatricians and child health advocates remain deeply concerned that 2,000 children still remain separated from their parents and that the current administration has signaled its intent to increase the length of time children are detained. It is particularly troubling that the administration has dramatically reduced the ability of those fleeing violence to seek asylum by ruling that domestic abuse or gang violence are not cause for asylum protection. Those of us who care for children reject the notion that only violence at the hands of the government require protection. The medical literature shows us that exposure to violence from any source can have long-lasting and debilitating health consequences. Any child whose government cannot protect them from domestic or gang-related violence deserves asylum protection.
Many of those concerned about the treatment of children and families at the border gathered across Vermont and the U.S. to protest these practices this past weekend.
Resources for families concerned about immigration status can be found here.
