This current issue piece speaks on the developments of immigration and health policies the Biden Harris Administration vowed to change in the next 4 years to counteract the harmful policies currently in place. This article also connects the role of the occupational therapy profession and the proposed policies and procedures.

Immigration and health policies have been a long-standing issue in the United States, and as we are aware, detaining and deporting immigrants entering the country illegally has been a topic of concern for many years, even decades. To combat this issue, in April of 2018, the Trump Administration enacted what was called the Zero-Tolerance Policy which was intended to ramp-up criminal prosecution of people caught entering the U.S. illegally; families with children were no exception to this policy. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported that within just six weeks of the policy implementation, 1,995 immigrant children were separated from their families (Lind, 2018).

Advocacy coalitions have been fighting to stop family separation and reunite the already separated families from the first moment this policy became known. Many have been reunited over the years; however, in December 2020, CNN journalist, P. Alvarez (2020), reported that 628 children still remain separated from their parents. Since taking office, the Biden Harris Administration has passed an executive order and formed a task force solely focused on family reunification across the United States. The task force is also charged with developing and recommending steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Cox et al. (2020) reported that the Biden Harris Administration will also reverse and restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and on January 20, 2021, they did just that. The White House set a memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to preserve and fortify DACA. The administration has plans to reverse, reform, and revise the public charge policy and policies on immigrant detention for families by reinvesting in non-profit case management programs, alternative methods to detaining, and steps to protect children, pregnant women, and immigrant families; an additional policy is set to repeal the travel and refugee bans also known as the “Muslim bans” (Cox et al., 2020).

Occupational therapists are skillfully trained and well versed in rehabilitation interventions, cognition, human anatomy and community resources and how each may hinder or foster a client’s participation in meaningful relationships, roles, routines, and occupations. This training and knowledge set us up to be a key resource in assisting and aiding the children and their families in the recovery process.

Not only are there immediate harmful effects on the children and parents who have been separated, but the trauma that the families endure will persist across the lifespan and potentially lead to a myriad of harmful issues for society as a whole. MacLean et al. (2019) reported that children who had been detained at the U.S. border and separated from their mothers displayed higher rates of emotional and behavioral difficulties as compared to the general population. Children look to their parents as a source of security and support; being forcibly separated from them is categorized under adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are linked to many poor health outcomes in adulthood, including substance abuse, decreased mental well-being, and engagement in risky behaviors (United States Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

We can help individuals who have experienced a traumatic life disruption through occupational adaptation and the recovery process by supporting the four dimensions of recovery; health, home, purpose, and community (Recovery Is Possible, 2019). Occupational therapists can help by using interventions that promote healthy choices and lower stress levels, enable individuals to engage in purposeful and meaningful activities, provide resources to ensure stability in the home, and teach social skills that help individuals create healthy social networks.

As for restoring and strengthening the DACA program, this will provide its recipients, without fear, to pursue a degree in the occupational therapy profession or other allied health professions. The Center for Migration Studies reported around 43,000 DACA recipients work in health care and social assistance industries (Sherman, 2021). Many current and future occupational therapists who are DACA recipients serve rural areas, underserved communities, and vulnerable populations. Strengthening the DACA program will support the already experienced practitioners and future practitioners working in much-needed communities.

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