Report: Immigrant Family Detention Harming Kids' Health

"A new report finds that despite reforms to the family detention system, parents held at a Pennsylvania facility are still struggling to be released and are worried that their children's mental health and well-being could be in jeopardy.

The report, released Wednesday by Human Rights First, shows families detained at the Berks County Residential Center in Leesport, Penn., are facing countless hurdles that are preventing them from being released.

They are being asked to pay expensive bonds and are facing delays in important interviews used to determine whether or not they have a credible fear of persecution in their home countries. Many are also lacking legal representation, the report states.

Parents detained at the Berks facility also are concerned about the changes in their children's mental health and behavior, according to the report. Some parents said their children haven't been eating well and have lost weight. Others said their children started acting out and behaving aggressively toward others.

"The bottom line is that detention, even for short amounts of time, is detrimental to the health and well-being of a child," said Olga Byrne, who authored the report. "The Obama administration should immediately abandon this misguided approach and implement other measures, such as community-based programs, which are proven effective and less costly."

The report comes several months after Homeland Security Seretary Jeh Johnson announced a series of "substantial changes" aimed at reducing the amount of time families are detained. Johnson said families who pass their credible fear interviews—a necessary first step in the asylum process—could be released on bond." - Griselda Nevarez, NBC News, Aug. 20, 2015.