Health Implications for Recently Detained Unaccompanied Immigrant Children: The Role of Pediatric Nurses

Headnote

Unaccompanied children continue to immigrate to the United States from Central America and Mexico seeking asylum and often reunification with family. As this influx continues, it is the responsibility of the medical community, including pediatric nurses, to address the health needs of these vulnerable children. This article reviews current health considerations of recently detained unaccompanied children, and the impact their experiences have on their physical and mental health.

Key Words: Undocumented, detained, immigrant, health implications, mental health, access.

Since 2014, the United States has experienced an influx of unaccompanied minors crossing the United States-Mexican border, many of whom are fleeing poverty, violence, and exploitation by gangs and drug cartels in their home countries (Ataiants et al., 2018; Chang, 2019; Linton et al., 2018; Robinson, 2015). These children immigrate from Mexico and Central America, many from the Northern Triangle - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - an area known for increased violence and impoverished living conditions (Chang, 2019; Ciaccia & John, 2016; Linton et al., 2018; Robinson, 2015; Sriraman, 2019a). They often range in age from 13 to 17 years, yet recently, even younger unaccompanied children have been detained at the border (Ataiants et al., 2018). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2019), an unaccompanied immigrant child is legally considered an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) and is defined as:

A child who has no lawful immigration status in the United States; has not attained 18 years of age; and, with respect to whom, there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States, or no parent or legal guardian in the United States available to provide care and physical custody.

Unaccompanied children include those who have traveled with a family unit or other accompanying adult but are separated after the adult cannot be verified as a biological parent or legal guardian (Linton et al., 2017).

When detained at the border, unaccompanied children are held by the Department of Homeland Security and processed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (Ataiants et al., 2018; Ciaccia & John, 2016; Linton et al., 2018; Sriraman, 2019a). Detained children are initially processed by CBP and should only be temporarily held in detention centers for 48 to 72 hours until they are processed and transferred to...