Medical groups are denouncing the Trump administration policy of separating children from their parents who enter the U.S. illegally, saying that traumatic experience can cause irreparable harm by damaging brain development.
“Any forced separation is highly stressful for children and can cause lifelong trauma, as well as an increased risk of other mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” said the American Psychiatric Association’s Dr. Altha Stewart.
“Many families crossing the United States border are fleeing war and violence in their home countries and are already coping with the effects of stress and trauma. These children deserve our protection and should remain with their families as they seek asylum.”
The Department of Homeland Security reported June 15 that 1,995 children were taken from their parents between April 19 and May 31 of this year, a move that has resulted in public outcry because of the cruel and inhumane practice.
Ironically, First Lady Melania Trump expressed empathy for affected families, saying the country should be governed “with a heart.” However, she did not directly take issue with her husband's policy. Instead, she said “both sides” needed to resolve the political stalemate over immigration, which Trump says has resulted in the separations blaming Democrats.
Admittedly, I am not a psychologist or child behavior expert. But it seems logical that at least some of these children who have suffered in this way will harbor unimaginable resentment against the U.S. for treating them in this way. So, it also is logical to question how that might play out when these kids get old enough to fire a gun or detonate a bomb.
So, I ask, is it too far-fetched to suggest that Trump's cruel and unnecessary child separation policy could spawn a new generation of terrorists? Of young people who are so angry at the U.S. government that they grab an AR-15 just a few years from now and start shooting?
Trump's policy is cruel and humane. It is unnecessary. And, it is stupid.