Protecting U.S.-Citizen Children Whose Central American Parents Have Temporary Protected Status

Abstract

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was recently terminated for Central American residents in the United States. The TPS recipients who have not already obtained an alternative form of legal immigration authorization will soon be subject to detention and deportation. As a result, it is estimated that thousands of children, many of whom are U.S. citizens—246,200 from El Salvador and Honduras alone—will be at risk for experiencing short- and long-term psychological and health consequences owing to the impending detention and/or deportation of their parents. The United States and the global community must protect these children. Neglecting to promote protection for the offspring of TPS recipients contradicts the premises of the U.S. Constitution, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; United Nations General Assembly, 1989 ), and the United Nations’ recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; United Nations General Assembly, 2015 ). Our nation’s laws and immigration policies must interrupt cycles of trauma and establish sustainable healthy trajectories across the life span for the well-being of all children. In light of the extensive evidence on harmful effects of parent–child separation and intergenerational trauma, this policy brief recommends reaffirming commitment to maintenance of the family unit, providing a path to authorized immigration status for TPS parents, and using a “trauma and developmentally informed lens” when creating policies that involve children.

Abstract

Impact and Implications

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was recently terminated for Central American residents in the United States. As a result, thousands of children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, now experience the burden of their parents’ precarious immigration status, in addition to the weight of the trauma that propelled their parents’ flight to the United States. The purpose of this policy brief is to increase action for policies that address these burdens, and to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda for reducing inequalities (SDG10) and promoting just and inclusive societies (SDG16) for children of immigrants.