"Such a situation could have long-term, devastating effects on young
children, who are likely to develop what is called toxic stress in their
brain once separated from caregivers or parents they trusted. It
disrupts a child’s brain development and increases the levels of
fight-or-flight hormones in their bodies, Kraft said. This kind of
emotional trauma could eventually lead to health problems, such as heart
disease and substance abuse disorders."
"Nearly 4,600 mental-health professionals and 90 organizations have joined a petition urging President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and several elected officials to stop the policy of separating children from their parents. The petition says:"
"These children are thrust into detention centers often without an
advocate or an attorney and possibly even without the presence of any
adult who can speak their language. We want you to imagine for a moment
what this might be like for a child: to flee the place you have called
your home because it is not safe to stay and then embark on a dangerous
journey to an unknown destination, only to be ripped apart from your
sole sense of security with no understanding of what just happened to
you or if you will ever see your family again. And that the only thing
you have done to deserve this, is to do what children do: stay close to
the adults in their lives for security."
“To pretend that separated children do not grow up with the shrapnel of
this traumatic experience embedded in their minds is to disregard
everything we know about child development, the brain, and trauma.”
https://is.gd/QY7WXP
