A recent study reveals that children held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) migrant detention centers are not receiving the necessary mental health care, including adequate screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Published on March 3 in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, the study was co-authored by experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, including Dennis Kunichoff, Margaret Sullivan, and Vasileia Digidiki of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights.
The research, conducted in partnership with RAICES, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to asylum seekers and migrants, focused on the medical records of 165 children detained at the ICE-run Karnes Family Detention Facility between June 2018 and October 2020. The study uncovered significant gaps in mental health care at the facility.
Findings of the Study
Among the most concerning findings was the use of a non-validated mental health screening tool, deemed below the standard of care for pediatric practices in the U.S. Despite the well-documented prevalence of mental health issues among migrant children, with 15-20% typically exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, only 1% of the children in the study—just two individuals—were identified as experiencing any mental distress.
The researchers emphasized that these findings highlight the need for a more appropriate and validated screening tool to detect mental health issues among detained children.
“Our findings provide evidence of limited access to timely, age-appropriate and quality mental health screening, case management, and care,” the study authors stated. “Without the necessary resources to identify and address trauma, these children are at risk for long-lasting physiological and psychological stress, as well as developmental delays.”
Call for Accountability and Reform
The researchers called for ICE to be held accountable to U.S. and international standards of care for migrant children, particularly in the realm of mental health care. They proposed a series of recommendations to address these deficiencies, such as reducing the amount of time children spend in detention, strengthening legal oversight to ensure migrant children’s right to mental health care, and expanding the responsibilities of Department of Homeland Security officers to include the health and safety of the children under their custody.
The most pressing recommendation, however, was the cessation of migrant child detention entirely. “To meet our commitment to protect children,” the authors concluded, “we advocate for the end of child migrant detention and the assignment of their protection to an agency adequately equipped to meet the needs of these children.”
This study underscores the urgent need for a fundamental shift in how the U.S. treats migrant children, particularly in ensuring their mental and physical well-being while in detention.
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