She has no family in the U.S. and works seven days a week on mostly overnight shifts, cleaning offices and a bakery. “In some ways the hardest part is the aftermath [of family separation],” said Neha Desai, the director of immigration at the National Center for Youth Law. Experts say they’ve worked with many separated children who have become withdrawn. Dr. Cristina Muñiz de la Peña, a child psychologist, says kids deliberately disassociate from memories of the separation to avoid negative emotions. They are now reunited in Seattle and the teenager is on antidepressants, but Ramirez knows the experience will stay with her for life.

Source: Huffington Post April 06, 2019 12:45 UTC