Release boy to foster care

Regarding “Boy wins asylum but not freedom” (March 5): As a pediatrician at a county hospital, I work closely with children like G.E. who have fled from the horrific daily trauma in Central America or Mexico.

It is unconscionable that G.E. remains detained with complete disregard to his mental and physical health. G.E. must be released from Yolo juvenile hall to foster care, based on medical urgency. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued statements that Central American unaccompanied minors have exceptional mental health needs that require prioritized intervention that is trauma-informed, linguistically and culturally sensitive.

These youth are at particularly high risk for developing poor mental health outcomes, lower academic performance, and less economic security. Not only does G.E.’s detention grate against our moral imperative to protect children, but also it is in violation of the July 2016 ruling in Lynch vs. Flores: The Office of Refugee Resettlement and government authorities are obliged to place children in least restrictive age-appropriate settings that address the child’s special needs.

I strongly urge the San Francisco city attorney and Mayor Ed Lee to join Legal Services for Children and the Department of Social Services in demanding G.E.’s immediate release to foster care. Eleanor Chung, Alameda