UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

The purpose of this research was to understand the impact that the zero-tolerance immigration policy had on the well-being of children who were forcibly separated from their guardians at the U.S. border. Focusing on the factors that influence children and their families to migrate to the United States from their countries, the impact that forcible family separation has on children and their mental well-being. The experiences that children went through while in thecustody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the immigration detention centers, and the impact that the zero-tolerance immigration policy had on migrant families and children over time. I will be using a qualitative research method, a small-N study of 20 children who completed the UCLA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index. Focusing mainly onchildren but also looking at their relationship with their family members after they were reunited if they were. This research helped me find that some migrant children who were not separated from their guardians and family members still showed to have PTSD. This could be due to the experiences that the children saw or experienced at the immigration center or experiences thatthey saw crossing the border or pre-migration. Additionally, this research helps to show the impact that pre-migration factors had on children's mental health before they were forcibly separated from their families and guardians and the impact the zero-tolerance policy had on families and children who were separated.