This blog post from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) highlights some of the impacts of the trauma of family separation on children, particularly on children's mental health and wellbeing. The post tells the story of one 3 year old boy who was reunited with her parents after nearly three and a half months of separation upon entry into the US from the border with Mexico. Upon reunification, the boy refused to look his mother in the eye and continued to pull away from her. “There is no greater threat to a child’s emotional well-being than being separated from a primary caregiver,” says Johanna Bick, a psychology professor at the University of Houston. “Even if it was for a short period, for a child, that’s an eternity.”
