Long delays for asylum-seekers adds to trauma

The Nation reports on how, with a backlog of cases clogging up the immigration courts, some asylum-seekers wait up to 10 years for theirs to be heard. Many remain without status until they are approved or denied, and about one in three experience depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. “The prolonged uncertainty about their future can have a deleterious effect on the psychosocial growth and psychological safety of kids who are waiting on their asylum decisions,” said Isok Kim, associate professor of social work.