by Adolfo Flores
A study released Oct. 31 by the National Council of La Raza and The Urban Institute, has found that children suffered from mental7and health disorders after their parents were seized in workplace immigration raids.
The first-of-its-kind report, ‘’Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigra7tion Raids on America’s Children,” found that for every two detained adults, one child was left behind. Two-thirds of the children were under age 10.
Nearly all of the children exhibited negative emotional and behavioral reactions.
For some it led to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety and in one child suicidal thoughts, the study revealed.
In the United States more than 3 million U.S.-born children have at least one undocumented parent.
Between 2002 and 2006 the number of undocumented persons arrested at their workplace increased from 500 to 3,600.
“The raids have a destabilizing impact on children’s’ families, schools and social network,” said report co-author Rosa María Castaneda. “All of these influences play a critical factor in all of these children’s well-being.”
The study followed 30 afflicted families for months after ICE raids in New Bedford, Mass.; Greeley, Colo, and Grand Island, Neb., last year. A total of 912 people were arrested and 506 children were directly affected.
Many detainees were held in facilities outside their states and allowed only limited telephone access.
Single parents, primary care-givers and those with family health issues were released within a day or two, but there were inconsistencies in parents’ release.
Some did not disclose they had children for fear they also would be detained or placed in foster care.
In Greeley and Grand Island a large number of those who were arrested accepted voluntary departure. Some were detained for up to six months.
There weren’t that many voluntary departures in New Bedford, where almost all those seized were from Guatemala and Central America.
Initially, community organizations provided most children left behind with strong social support, but resources were quickly drained.
Rev. E. Roy Riley of New Jersey met Berta, a single mother who hid under the floor boards beneath her work station during one of the raids. Berta continues to worry about her son’s welfare.
“You could say, well, Berta, you should have thought about that before you moved to this country,” said Rev. Riley.
“But for the vast majority of these young immigrant families that is exactly what they did…they wanted more than anything to give their children a good home’ sufficient food, and a good education.”
Rep Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), who introduced the Families First Immigration Enforcement Act Oct. 25, is pressing for a hearing on the study.
Her proposal would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to give access to social service agencies to screen and interview detainees because of problems that arise when a person lies to the agency due to fear and intimidation.
It would also force ICE to release sole caretakers’ those who care for children with special needs, pregnant and nursing mothers within 72 hours of their apprehension if they’re not subject to mandatory detention or pose an immediate fl ight risk.
The Senate companion bill was introduced by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass).
“Members on both sides of the aisle care very deeply about the education, well-being and health of these children’” said Miriam Calderon, a senior policy analysis for NCLR. “It’s clear that (the raids) are un-dermining their goals.’’
The Urban Institute expects to conduct a follow-up study in a year to report the long-term effects that raids have on immigrant children.
“We also want to look at a broader range of types of immigration raids, like smaller raids, some non-Latino populations and probably some raids that occurred in people’s homes’ in addition to the ones that occurred in the work place,” said Andy Capps’ co-author of the study.
The study is available at www.ncir.org.
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