By Emily Ruskin, UnidosUS Policy Analyst and Amina Sadural, UnidosUS Summer Fellow
In 2018, family separation entered the American zeitgeist. For most of us, the term immediately conjures mental images of children, crying for their parents at the border, deprived of basic needs. We collectively mourned the children who perished in our care, scared and alone; and we were outraged to learn infants as young as one-year old were being tried in immigration court. And on August 7, 2019, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted workplace raids across Mississippi, we confronted a dark reality: the heart wrenching separations at our southern border are only the tip of a vast iceberg.
Because in truth, family separation happens everywhere in our country, almost every day. Millions of American families live in constant fear of separation. The related chronic stress and anxiety this causes is endangering the health and development of nearly six million American citizen children and undermining our social fabric. In 2017, more than one in four American children under the age of 18 had at least one immigrant parent. Sixty-seven percent of children in immigrant families in the United States are Hispanic; 95% of Hispanic children are American citizens born in the United States.
Among these vulnerable children in immigrant families are the nearly six million children who are U.S.-born or who are otherwise lawfully present, who live with a loved one (mostly a parent) who is undocumented or has Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). These are the children who live in constant fear of family separation. Toxic stress, which can occur in children who experience traumatic events, is common in children in mixed immigration status families. Toxic stress places children at high risk of mental health harms, impairs sleep, and interferes with education outcomes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently warned the chronic stress of fearing separation from a parent or loved one that immigrant children experience could disrupt their developmental processes and lead to long-term health concerns.
For many immigrant families, the stress and anxiety of separation is being magnified by a new Trump administration rule. On August 12, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — the agency responsible for processing immigration visas and naturalizing citizens — announced it will expand ‘public charge,’ making it more difficult for eligible immigrants to renew their visas or obtain green cards if they might access government assistance. Although the rule is not yet in force, it is already harming American families. Confusion about the rule is causing ‘chilling effects’, i.e. eligible residents are avoiding necessary public programs out of fear. These effects are spilling over to citizens, as well; in New York City, Hispanic citizen enrollment in food assistance (SNAP) dropped 6.4% after the public charge rule was announced, despite rising child food insecurity across the United States.
Chilling effects have also been observed in health care. The public charge rule will not apply to health care for children under the age of 21, but Georgetown University found nearly 800,000 children dropped from Medicaid in 2018, following a large rise in enrollments in 2017. Leading pediatricians fear drops in enrollment due to confusion could lead to as many as two million children with serious medical needs going uninsured, possibly resulting in long-term disabilities and premature deaths.
This change comes on the heels on other administrative action directly targeting American children in mixed status homes. In May 2019, for instance, the Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD) proposed a rule that would force mixed immigration status families out of federally subsidized housing. If enacted, the rule would force thousands of families to choose between separating from a loved one to keep their home, or eviction as a family unit. HUD’s analysis of the rule estimates at least 55,000 American children are at risk of eviction or homelessness under this rule. Roughly 85% of families at risk under this rule are Hispanic. There is a large, historic body of evidence — including HUD-funded research — showing unstable housing in childhood, even briefly, has lifetime negative consequences.
And all this for what?
The Trump administration seems to embrace risking the health and well-being of millions of children to achieve an ever-harsher environment for immigrant families, even as its enforcement efforts have not produced any concrete results; apprehensions may be rising, but more migrants are seeking entry at our southern border than at any time since 2005. Indeed, inside reports describe an administration “singularly obsessed” with limiting all immigration, especially low-income and low-skilled immigration, regardless of the consequences. As noted above, the children impacted by these policies are disproportionately Hispanic.
At best, American children are being harmed as collateral damage under this combination of punitive, anti-immigrant policies. At worst, the suffering is part of the plan — an effort to reshape the face of America and ‘clean’ it of those who might “appear deportable.” While it may not be self-evident to the administration, the truth is that American children and their parents are created equal, with the same rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as all Americans. As a nation, we face economic and structural costs if we do not reverse these harmful trends.
If we act now, with luck, this period will be contained to a brief, ugly chapter in the history books read by our grandchildren. If we do not act, if we do not protect and uphold the right of every American child to pursue the American Dream, regardless of color, income, or origin, we betray our most sacred values and the wells of our democracy will run dry.
