Thread by @JynErso_2017

We all know tender-aged children were ripped away from parents with NO warning and NO assurance of whether or when they'll see them again.

The cruelty is obvious, but some may not realize reuniting them is a real medical and psychological Emergency. 1/
theguardian.com/us-news/2018/j…

I am a psychologist specializing in trauma. The damage *already* done to little ones - older children too - will have long-lasting and severe consequences.

This harm will take years to heal. Even then, most of these children will *never* be the same. 2/
psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thrivi…

A good friend's story may shed some light on all this. Although not a refugee, at age 2 1/2 he had the terrifying experience of sudden separation from his parents. They were injured in a car accident, and he was unhurt physically, so he was taken away in a separate ambulance. 3/

The terror of that experience is with him still, as an adult, and real damage was done. For him and for the whole family - their bond was strained and forever weakened, in the trauma of this scary and prolonged separation. 4/

Now we are hearing that even the first children being reunited with parents are deeply changed, and feel abandoned.

Young children typically believe parents are all-powerful, so their parents must be choosing this, and probably it's the child's fault. 5/
amp.instyle.com/news/immigrant…

This is why we need to get #EveryChildReunited with their parents, *urgently.*

Even then, the damage will never be truly undone. We can only hope that with some good support, they may find their way to a new normal after what we have done.
/END
newyorker.com/news/our-colum…