Dr. Dana Rusch was mentioned in an El Paso Matters news article: ‘We had a different life’: Deportation forces El Paso family, disabled citizen children into uncertainty across the border
Dr. Dana Rusch was interviewed to provide information about the impact of detention and deportation on children's mental health and development.
Decades of research have shown that the deportation of parents and families has had profound effects on children’s development, including their ability to learn, play, socialize and regulate emotions, particularly children with developmental delays or other mental health conditions, said Dana Rusch of the University of Illinois Chicago. She serves as associate professor of clinical psychiatry and director of the Immigrant Family Mental Health Advocacy Program.
“This kind of sudden and forcible separation from their home, their routines, their friends, their health care services and educational services, has short and long-term consequences,” Rusch said.
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Dana Rusch PhD
Modified on September 11, 2025