Children with


Unspeakable Trauma: Unaccompanied Minors and Family Separations


| CHARISSA D. PIZARRO, PSYD, RPT, CCAPT, CTMH T


he US is perhaps one of the most diverse countries in the world   country (Budiman, 2020). Almost every country in the world is


represented in the US population. The legal status of immigrants in the US varies. Although some immigrants enter the US legally with a visa or familial sponsorship, others enter via unauthorized means, such as by crossing the US- Mexico border.


Total US Population Foreign Nationals


US Population in 2018 (Budiman, 2020) 327.2 million 44.8 million


Authorized foreign Nationals Unauthorized foreign Nationals 1


34.5 million (77%) 0.3 million (23%)


To deter entry of undocumented immigrants via the US- Mexico border, there are apprehensions and detentions of individuals and families who attempt to cross this boundary. According to the Pew Research Center,            conjectured to be accounted for by the influx of family units entering   family units detained, a record high since 2012. Family units entering the


20 | PLAYTHERAPY | September 2021 | www.a4pt.org


 


In addition to apprehensions and detentions, families who enter the US may be separated. There was a massive increase of family separations     seems to underestimate family separations and does not seem to capture the magnitude of the issue at hand (DHHS OIG, 2019). Children    of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), who then places the child in the least restrictive environment.


A separate group of undocumented immigrants who also enter the US via its borders are children or unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors are children traveling without a parent or guardian. Typically, these children enter the US with the goal to reunify with parents or extended family members already in the US. Unaccompanied minors apprehended                 


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