Report: Raid left kids prone to emotional problems

BOSTON. Children whose parents were arrested in the immigration raid on a New Bedford factory in March are prone to a litany of emotional problems, according to a report released yesterday by The Urban Institute.

Using site visits and interviews with detainees, the report focused on the March 6 raid at Michael Bianco Inc., and on similar roundups in Colorado and Nebraska, highlighting the social, economic and psychological effects such federal busts have on children.

“One of the most devastating things these kids can go through is a disruption in their childhood,” said Dr. Amaro Laria, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School.

Laria joined a panel of experts yesterday at the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to discuss the report. As long as the raids continue, the panel agreed, care for the families must be a priority.

One of the 361 detained in New Bedford described a night of terror she spent in a tent with weeping mothers separated from their children.

“It was the worst night of her life,” said Ester R. Shapiro, associate professor of psychology at UMass and a research associate at the Mauricio Gaston Institute. “That is torture.”

While many children of undocumented parents faced disadvantages before raids – including low income, lack of education and poor English proficiency — their challenges increased dramatically when a parent was arrested, according to the report. Children experienced separation trauma, social isolation, and major anxiety and stress disorders in the wake of the raids.

“The federal government failed to adequately prepare for the children, and their trauma is directly attributable to the callous disregard for their welfare,” said Carol Trust, executive director of NASW Massachusetts.

Seeking mental health care or other services has been difficult for those lacking English proficiency and distrusting authority, the experts said.