A year after federal immigration agents detained their parents, some Connecticut children are still struggling with the emotional and practical consequences of family separation.
A new Connecticut Public mini documentary, “Separation,” revisits two young people whose families were affected by immigration enforcement in the state. The film follows Monse, a New Haven teenager whose mother was detained by ICE, and Kevin, a Meriden teenager who was detained alongside his father just days before his high school graduation.
The documentary was produced by Connecticut Public visual journalist Ayannah Brown and Latino communities reporter Daniela Doncel. Brown said the project grew out of an assignment she received a year earlier to photograph one of the children.
“We ended up interviewing during this mini doc directly after her mother had been taken by ICE,” Brown said. “I wanted to do a deeper follow-up, not just on her story, but also gather voices of other children who may have been in a similar position across Connecticut.”
Two families, two encounters with ICE
Doncel said Monse was 13 when federal immigration agents detained her mother. Monse and her 8-year-old brother witnessed the arrest just before they were being dropped off at school.
The other young person featured in the documentary is Kevin, who was 16 when he and his father were detained during a routine immigration appointment.
“These were two high-profile cases in Connecticut that were being covered heavily by the news,” Doncel said. “And we really wanted to do a follow-up of it's been a year later. How are they doing? How are they faring? How are their families faring? And has it impacted them? And we found very clearly it definitely has.”
Documenting an arrest in Danbury
The documentary also includes close-up footage of ICE agents making arrests in Danbury. Brown said she and her colleagues were filming during a ride-along with a grassroots advocacy group called Danbury Unites for Immigrants when they came upon the arrests.
Brown said the agents initially did not notice her and colleagues filming. Once they did, she observed a change in their behavior.
“You can see it in the video as they are aggressively arresting a few of the men, and once they do see us, they decide to tone it down,” Brown said.
She recalled one agent telling another, “No, no, no! Like it's okay. Like he's gonna be okay,” as the agent tried to calm colleagues nearby.
Brown said the agents did not say much to her, but their demeanor changed once they realized they were being recorded.
The effects on children and families
The documentary also features conversations with Kica Matos, a New Haven resident and president of the National Immigration Law Center, and immigration attorney Maegan Faitsch. Doncel said Matos discussed how ICE's handling of arrests involving parents and children can leave young people dealing with trauma.
Doncel said Fatisch described how family separation that was once more commonly associated with the U.S.-Mexico border is increasingly happening through immigration arrests within communities.
The effects on children can include anxiety and depression, Doncel said. Some also take on responsibilities they may not be ready for at their age.
She pointed to Monse, who now helps care for her younger brother.
“We talk with Monse about how she now has to take care of her younger brother and kind of be a second mom to him,” Doncel said.
Communities continue to support affected families
Doncel said families and children have had to adjust to the presence of immigration enforcement in their daily lives. At the same time, community groups continue to organize support and alert neighbors when ICE agents are nearby.
“I hate to say that it has become something that they just have to accept, but it feels like that's where it has become,” Doncel said.
She said people who help protect and support immigrant families are continuing to patrol neighborhoods and warn residents about sometimes daily ICE activity.
“There's no sleep right now,” Doncel said. “People are still very cognizant of what's happening, and they're not letting up.”
Learn more
“Separation” is available to watch on CT Public.org as part of its Mini Docs series and on the Connecticut Public YouTube channel.
VisitConnecticut Public’s Immigrant Resource Guide or theConnecticut Immigrant Support Network for additional resources. Find more reporting on immigration from Connecticut Public’s newsroom, including:
