The Impacts of Family Separation and Deportation on Children: Health, Development, Mental Health, Education and Economic Conditions
Well documented research finds that deportation and resulting family separation can have wide ranging and long lasting consequences for children. This brief reviews the latest research on the mental health of immigrant children and families, with an emphasis on the deleterious impacts of deportation and family separation. We review impacts on healthy development, stress (including toxic stress) and mental health, as well as economic security and education. In particular, we find that:
1️⃣ Family separations result in severe short and long term stress and contribute to mental health challenges for children and adults. 2️⃣ Family separations cause financial hardship for family members who remain, contributing to housing and food insecurity. 3️⃣ Family separations often disrupt children’s primary attachment relationships and have deep impacts on their development. This is particularly salient for young children whose brain development and social and emotional foundations are formed in the context of, and dependent on, these critically important caregiving relationships. 4️⃣ Family separations impact educational experiences and outcomes, with family deportations being associated with lower school performance, grade retention, absenteeism, and high school dropout.
While much rhetoric surrounds immigration policy, the cost to children is rarely centered, even though research is wide ranging, consistent, and well-established. It is critical to consider the safety, health, and well-being of children in immigration policy. The following brief provides key data points to consider.
Suggested Citation:
Palomino, C., Aponte, G., Soto-Boykins, X., Blevins, D., Meek, S., Park, M., Oppenheim, J., Bucher, E. (May, 2025). The Impacts of Family Separation and Deportation on Children’s Health, Mental Health, Economic Conditions, Development, and Education. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. https://cep.asu.edu/resources/ImpactsofFamilySeparationandDeportation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deportation and resulting family separation can affect children’s mental health, physical health, development, family relationships, economic stability, and education. Research reviewed by the Children’s Equity Project finds that these effects can include chronic stress, anxiety, disrupted attachment relationships, food and housing insecurity, school absences, lower academic achievement, and increased risk of school dropout.
Forced family separation can contribute to significant mental health challenges for children, including anxiety, fear, withdrawal, depression, hyperactivity, sleep and eating changes, and other emotional or behavioral symptoms. Children who experience separation from caregivers may face both immediate and longer-term psychological effects. The report also identifies increased risks of depression, anxiety, and PTSD associated with deportation and family separation.
Yes. The report explains that detention and separation from a parent or caregiver may trigger toxic stress because of the intensity of the experience and the possible absence of a trusted caregiver who can help the child cope. Prolonged or extreme stress during early childhood can affect developing brain systems and may be associated with difficulties involving anxiety, memory, executive functioning, learning, language, and social-emotional development.
Separating children from parents or primary caregivers can disrupt the attachment relationships that support healthy cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development. The report finds that separation can weaken children’s sense of safety, trust, and security and may contribute to attachment anxiety and long-term difficulties in parent-child relationships. Longer separations may be associated with more lasting harm.
Deportation and the fear of family separation can disrupt children’s education. Research reviewed in the report links family separation and immigration enforcement with reduced school enrollment, increased absenteeism, lower academic performance, grade retention, bullying, emotional distress, and increased risk of school dropout. Children can be affected even when their own families are not directly facing deportation because immigration enforcement can disrupt entire school communities.
The detention or deportation of a family member can cause a sudden loss of household income and increase the risk of poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, and homelessness. The report notes that these economic hardships can affect children regardless of their own citizenship or immigration status and can have consequences for their health, development, and educational outcomes.
Yes. Fear of deportation alone can contribute to chronic stress, anxiety, social isolation, and hypervigilance among children and families. It can also discourage families from seeking health care, mental health services, and community programs, while fears surrounding immigration enforcement have been associated with school absences and reduced enrollment.
Yes. Children have a right to public education regardless of immigration status. The report highlights the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, which established that states cannot deny children access to a free public education because they are undocumented.