What ICE Detention Does to a Child

New York magazine ran a powerful story on March 18 by Andrea González-Ramirez on the traumatic condition of children in an ICE facility in Texas. Here’s the headline and the opening of her story and a link to the entire story. – Diana Hembree

Days after his family arrived at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas last summer, 13-year-old Carlos began experiencing nightmares that would leave him screaming for his mother, Ingrid, as many as five times a night. After a week in custody, the teenager began wetting the bed – something he had never done before.

Ingrid was concerned that Carlos went from an active and happy child who would go out and play to one who was ‘stressed, anxious, and desperate’ and sleeping much more than what seemed healthy. ‘My son has changed a lot. I just want my son to be okay,’ she said. ‘I don’t want him to be overmedicated or to be suffering from insomnia. I want him to be a normal child.’

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents apprehend more children like Carlos every day, it raises a simple question that’s also one of grave moral concern: What does immigration detention do to a child’s mind and body?

“They are literally gambling with these children’s lives, and it’s just a matter of time before there’s a catastrophe,’ says Dr. Lara Jones, a California provider who specializes in pediatric critical care and who co-authored a letter demanding that the Trump administration release all children from immigration custody.”

Read the full New York magazine report from writer Andrea González-Ramírez here.