A recent report found that shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services were poorly equipped to care for the mental health of migrant children. Children arriving at the southern border often have suffered severe violence and are in need of trauma-informed services. Tahirih SF Bay Area Executive Director Morgan Weibel commented on the specific impact of the family separation policy on migrant children:
“The way that these separations went down, the stories that I have heard from my clients… that is a really traumatic experience to have as a child,” said Weibel. “The idea that children can just go on with their lives after this and have normal existences is so far-fetched to me. This is going to take years and years of therapy.”
