Political observers say Homeland Security is taking a quieter approach to fulfilling the Trump administration’s push for mass deportations. But Head Start leaders in Wisconsin warn the damage has already been done to young children.
Allies for young learners in Wisconsin say children continue to bear the mental and psychological toll of seeing federal immigration agents in their communities.
Jennie Mauer, executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, said her organization’s latest survey shows young children from all backgrounds exhibiting increased biting, hitting or extreme withdrawal in classrooms. She said signs of trauma are also showing up during playtime.
Mauer cited one account from the report “where the white children are telling their peers that the police are going to come and shoot them, or that they're going to report their family to ICE.”
“And certainly if this is happening in one classroom in Wisconsin, it's happening in many classrooms,” she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the effects of adverse childhood experiences can show up immediately and have long-term negative impacts on health, opportunity and well-being.
Mauer said increased ICE activity has also contributed to chronic absenteeism and decreased parental engagement.
CNN reports Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin has vowed to take a less flashy approach to immigration enforcement than his predecessor, while maintaining the same arrest goals.
Head Start serves the state’s most vulnerable families, with more than 16,000 children in Wisconsin benefiting from the program. Mauer said qualifying families are at or below the poverty line.
Along with free childcare, she said Head Start provides wraparound services to improve outcomes and the long-term health of families.
“It's just so crushing because every day missed for any child at school decreases their ability to get that support,” Mauer said. “But particularly for these most vulnerable kids, it's just really impacting folks who already are facing significant barriers to advancing their lives.”
Mauer said Head Start staff have also experienced unprecedented strain on already limited resources and are managing crisis situations they were never trained to handle.
Biden-era reforms increased chronically low wages and benefits for program staff. A new rule proposed by the Administration for Children and Families would roll back those actions.
