Mental Health Experts Urge End to Detention of Children as Care

Family separation under the guise of safety has detrimental effects on children’s mental health, according to many mental health professionals. Such separations, often executed by the child welfare, juvenile justice, and immigration systems, lead to severe psychological consequences, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. A recent case involving Liam Conejo Ramos has drawn national attention to these issues. Liam, a five-year-old boy, was taken into custody alongside his father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shortly after they arrived home in a suburb of Minneapolis on January 20, 2026. Their attorney claims they entered the United States legally seeking asylum and were detained unlawfully.

The implications of family separation extend beyond individual cases. Communities suffer as children witness peers being taken away, leading to fears of deportation that affect healthcare access and school attendance. In one instance, a child reported threats from classmates to report her parents to immigration authorities. Tragically, this led to her untimely death, highlighting the severe emotional toll such separations can have.

Mental health professionals argue that the systems in place for child welfare and juvenile justice often perpetuate harm rather than safety. Families are separated in the name of protection, yet this practice disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities. Numerous cases exist where children from these backgrounds have been removed from their families, not due to neglect, but as a result of systemic issues like poverty.

The roots of these practices can be traced back to mid-20th century child guidance clinics, which operated in partnership with juvenile courts. These clinics often pathologized behaviors of delinquent children, many of whom came from low-income or immigrant families. Today, mental health providers are still seen as complicit in enabling family separation practices through mechanisms like mandated reporting, which can inadvertently funnel non-abusive families into the welfare system.

Once children are placed in state custody, the potential for harmful psychiatric practices increases. Research indicates that children, predominantly from marginalized communities, are more likely to be prescribed medications in detention facilities, often as a way to manage the symptoms of their confinement rather than addressing the underlying trauma of family separation.

Mental health providers must confront their role in legitimizing child detention. There is a growing need to redirect efforts towards preventing family separations and supporting families in crisis. The funds currently allocated to child detention facilities could be repurposed for community-based support systems, reducing the risk of abuse and lowering the need for policing.

Programs like California’s Differential Response and New York’s Family Assessment Response aim to provide voluntary support rather than punitive interventions. These models have shown promise in keeping families together and reducing the need for state involvement.

As highlighted by the distressing scenes witnessed during Liam’s detention, where children were recorded begging for freedom, the psychological harm associated with family separation is profound. It underscores the urgent need for mental health providers to not only acknowledge their complicity in these systems but to actively work towards keeping families together as a primary mental health intervention.

The shift in focus from viewing detention as a site of care to advocating for community support represents both a clinical and ethical imperative. Healing cannot occur within the confines of detention facilities. Instead, mental health professionals are called upon to withdraw their support from these systems and redirect their efforts toward initiatives that promote family unity and well-being.