Trump Administration’s Family Separation Policy Could Have Lasting Health Impacts On Children, Experts Warn; Trump Orders End To Practice But Challenges Remain
CBS News: Medical group warns family separation policy may lead to lifetime of harm to children
“As hundreds of children are being separated from their parents at the border between the United States and Mexico, pediatricians are sounding the alarm on the potential health effects and developmental damage this can cause. Child health experts have likened the policy to child abuse and are calling for the end of the practice immediately…” (6/20).
Los Angeles Times: The long-lasting health effects of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border
“…U.S. immigration officials have taken more than 2,300 child migrants from their parents since May, when the Trump administration initiated a ‘zero tolerance’ policy and began detaining the adults for criminal prosecution. Amid nationwide outrage, President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to bring an end to his controversial family separation policy…” (Healy, 6/20).
New York Times: Trump Retreats on Separating Families, but Thousands May Remain Apart
“…[T]he president’s order does nothing to address the plight of the more than 2,300 children who have already been separated from their parents under the president’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy. Federal officials initially said those children would not be immediately reunited with their families while the adults remain in federal custody during their immigration proceedings…” (Shear et al., 6/20).
Washington Post: Trump’s family-separation policy faces international condemnation from Pope Francis, Theresa May and others
“…President Trump’s immigration policies drew international condemnation Wednesday from allies and religious leaders, including Pope Francis, who took aim on moral grounds at the administration’s practice of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. … Leaders from London to Ottawa to Tehran described the separations as unjust and cruel…” (Harlan et al., 6/20).
Additional coverage of this story is available from Roll Call, Wall Street Journal (2), and Washington Post (2).
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.