July 24, 2025
A Statement by the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) urgently warns that xenophobia—including discriminatory policies, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and family separation—is harming the mental health and long-term well-being of youth in the U.S. and around the world.
Young people in immigrant and mixed-status families are growing up under a shadow of fear and uncertainty. They face daily threats to their safety, stability, and sense of belonging, fueled by a political climate that criminalizes migration and dehumanizes those who seek refuge or opportunity. These conditions are not only morally unacceptable, but they are also known to inflict lasting psychological harm.
Decades of research in adolescent development and mental health demonstrate the detrimental impact of chronic stress, family disruption, and exposure to discrimination on youth. Youth affected by immigration enforcement actions—such as detention, deportation, or raids—experience heightened rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress. The separation of children from their parents and caregivers disrupts essential attachment relationships and destroys protective systems, impeding emotion regulation, academic success, and healthy identity formation. Youth experiencing deportation-related separation are 17 times more likely to consider running away, and 4 times more likely to have seriously considered suicide. In parallel, research shows a dramatic increase in anxiety diagnoses among Latinx youth following spikes in anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric. The broader climate of xenophobia—intensified by political weaponization of immigration during election cycles—fosters chronic stress, erodes trust, and causes vicarious trauma that fractures the very foundation of adolescent development.
This is not just a mental health issue. It is a structural crisis with profound economic consequences. When families are separated, their financial stability collapses. When a parent is deported, the other parent may be compelled to hold multiple jobs, leaving youth without adequate care and guidance. This creates a ripple effect that undermines educational attainment, increases risk behaviors, and weakens our collective future.
Globally, displacement, migration crises, and xenophobic backlash have had similar effects. The trauma experienced by refugees and migrant youth is compounded by poor integration policies, lack of access to care, and societal marginalization—conditions that mirror what we see nationally. SAHM has consistently called for policies that center dignity, health, and the right to family integrity. Globally, two trends coexist: the number of youth has never been higher, and there are a record number of displaced families. The intersection is clear.
Call to Action
We call on governments, health systems, schools, and communities to:
- Recognize xenophobia and family separation as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with long-term mental and physical health effects;
- Design trauma-responsive systems of care that include culturally grounded, youth- and family-centered mental health supports.
- Advocate for humane immigration policies that preserve family unity and provide legal stability for mixed-status households, not only to support families but also to protect our global and national economy.
- Invest in economic safety nets that support undocumented and mixed-status families rather than criminalize their existence.
Adolescent health is public health. Xenophobia is a public health threat. Let us choose policies that protect, not punish, our youth and their families. Let us act from a place of compassion, equity, and science.