APA Services worked with the office of Senator Alex Padilla (D-California), Ranking Member on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, to enter several APA resources into the Congressional Record for the Subcommittee hearing held on September 17, 2025, titled “Another Biden Blunder: Missing Unaccompanied Alien Children and Criminal Sponsors.” The items entered into the Congressional Record included:
- APA Immigration Fact Sheet (PDF, 54KB)opens in new window;
- APA Policy Statement on Immigration Health (PDF, 77KB)opens in new window; and
- APA Task Force Report on Immigration and Health (PDF, 985KB)opens in new window.
APA Services requested that, as the subcommittee considers policies that are in the best interest of children, it take into account the decades of research that show that separating families is deeply detrimental for any child’s mental health. The longer a child is held, the more anxiety and depression increase. The documents explained that psychological science suggests that immigration policies that include family separation can be harmful to children, and the longer parents and children are separated, the greater the reported symptoms of anxiety and depression are for children. Youth are especially susceptible to negative mental health effects of not only being separated from their families, but also of being afraid that they will be separated. More specifically, family separation, or fear of separation, may result in children’s stress or distress, depression anxiety, behavioral and emotional issues, or sleep disturbances.
Furthermore, decades of psychological research also indicate that children separated from their parents can suffer severe psychological distress, resulting in anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, withdrawal, aggressive behavior and decline in educational achievement. Not all immigrants are exposed to traumatic events, and not all will experience ill health. Still, the published literature indicates that refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants, among other groups, experience particular vulnerability to traumatic events and health risks. APA Services emphasized the importance of keeping families together and strengthening the mental health of immigrants and all children and families.
In his closing remarks, Senator Padilla recognized APA Services’ work. He stated, “I move to enter the following statements into the record, including a statement from APA Services...We all agree we want to ensure the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children as a human concern while we struggle to modernize our immigration system as a whole.”
For more information, contact Serena Dávila.