Immigration and the Mental Health Crisis

In my third year Spanish class this past academic year, we watched a PBS documentary called SEPARATED: CHILDREN AT THE BORDER. The documentary touched me because it had an intimate scope fueled by interactions with real people. A father who had been separated from his daughter discussed the pain of thinking his daughter might think he left her. The idea of abandonment reminded me of the innocence of children; they don’t know what has happened when they are separated, they have no one to explain it to them. The father also mentions that he didn’t know that being separated was a possibility, he wasn’t educated on the risk. Many immigrants enter the U.S. with the misconception that it is a welcoming country but as political and social atmospheres shift, so does the truth of this ideology.

The journeys of many immigrants to the U.S. must create extreme trauma for children and adults alike. But, the problem is that often they have no choice when trying to escape an oppressive environment. They are often forced to board ‘The Beast’ train where violence ensues and children are thrown onto the train tracks.

My mom and I have worked with Valley Settlement, an organization in the Roaring Fork Valley which supports immigrants. Organizations like Valley Settlement support the mental health of immigrants already in our valley. But, as I see more sides of the immigration crisis, I realize that there are so many pieces of it that create a need for support.

Source Referenced:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/separated-children-at-the-border/?#:~:text=Never%20miss%20a%20FRONTLINE%20documentary&text=The%20inside%20story%20of%20what,with%20minors%20at%20the%20border