When 5-year-old Liam Ramos was photographed in his floppy-eared bunny hat and oversized superhero backpack, the image captured something deeply unsettling: childhood innocence colliding with aggressive immigration enforcement.
His small frame, dwarfed by the presence of federal agents, became a symbol of a growing crisis — one affecting thousands of children across the United States.
Although Liam has since returned home to Minneapolis with his father, the trauma of detention will not simply disappear. For children who remain confined in immigration detention centers, the emotional and psychological damage continues to compound each day.
The Hidden Cost of Immigration Enforcement on Children
After being detained, Liam and his father were transported more than 1,000 miles away to the large family detention facility in Dilley, Texas. There, they were held alongside more than 1,000 other detainees — including hundreds of young children — in conditions widely criticized as substandard.
While Liam is now home, pediatric experts warn that detention trauma leaves lasting marks. Sudden removal from school, separation from community, exposure to heavily armed enforcement agents, and confinement in unfamiliar environments create intense fear and confusion in young children.
For classmates who pleaded publicly for Liam’s return, the trauma did not end at the detention center doors. The ripple effect of immigration raids and school-based enforcement impacts entire communities.
The Psychological Effects of Immigration Raids
Pediatricians consistently observe how aggressive immigration enforcement affects child development and mental health. Children exposed to raids or witnessing arrests often experience:
- Panic attacks
- Sleep disturbances
- Loss of appetite
- Academic decline
- Persistent anxiety
- Fear of parental separation
For many immigrant families, the constant uncertainty — the fear that a parent might not come home — creates what health professionals call toxic stress.
Toxic stress disrupts healthy brain development and has been linked to long-term physical and mental health consequences. Chronic fear and instability weaken a child’s sense of safety, which is essential for healthy emotional growth.
Sensitive Locations and Growing Fear
Increasingly, enforcement actions have taken place in or near locations once considered safe spaces: schools, healthcare facilities, and places of worship.
When heavily armed, masked agents appear in these environments, children internalize the fear. Even those not directly detained may carry the anxiety of unpredictability.
Many immigrant families report avoiding medical care, skipping school attendance, and limiting daily activities — including grocery shopping or purchasing essential supplies — out of fear of detention or separation.
This climate of fear creates broad public health implications beyond immigration policy alone.
The Health Risks of Family Detention Centers
More than 1,700 children have reportedly been detained in family detention facilities since the revival of family detention policies in 2025.
Medical experts emphasize that no amount of time in detention is safe for children.
Concerns documented in recent years include:
- Inadequate medical care
- Limited access to clean water and nutritious food
- Communicable disease outbreaks (including measles)
- Family separation used as discipline
- Psychological distress and isolation
Congregate detention settings heighten exposure to illness and exacerbate mental health strain. Pediatric authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have repeatedly warned about the short- and long-term health consequences of child detention.
The Case for Humane Immigration Reform
There are community-based, humane alternatives to detaining families. Pediatric and child welfare experts argue that children — regardless of immigration status — belong:
- With their families
- In school
- In stable community environments
Policy recommendations frequently include:
- Prohibiting enforcement at sensitive locations (schools, hospitals, childcare centers)
- Requiring specialized training for immigration officers interacting with children
- Strengthening oversight of detention facility conditions
- Permanently closing family detention centers
Experts also stress the importance of judicial and congressional oversight to protect the rights and health of immigrant children.
Beyond One Child’s Story
Liam’s return home is a relief — but it does not erase what happened. Early childhood trauma shapes development in profound ways.
For the many children still detained, uncertainty and fear continue daily.
At its core, this issue extends beyond politics. It is about child health, emotional safety, and the moral responsibility to protect vulnerable populations.
Empathy, science, and public health research all point toward the same conclusion:
Children thrive in safety, stability, and family unity — not in detention facilities.
The question now is whether policy will reflect what pediatric evidence has made clear for decades.
Because childhood cannot be restored once it is disrupted.
