CA SJR29

Calls upon the President and United States Congress to acknowledge that separating immigrant children from their families at the border harms the children's physical and mental well-being and contradicts fundamental American values.

Calls upon Congress to issue a formal apology to all children forcibly separated from their parents and legal guardians by the Department of Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection, and to the parents of those children.

Cites Executive Order 13767 (January 25, 2017) establishing border security and detention policies, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions' zero-tolerance prosecution policy that resulted in child separation.

References scientific research showing prolonged toxic stress from family separation disrupts brain development and causes lasting damage including learning deficits, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and cardiovascular disease.

Notes opposition from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association, over 200 child welfare organizations, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to family separation policies.