Attachment theory—built on the knowledge that infants have an innate need to form an attachment bond with a caregiver and that separation from or loss of that caregiver has a lasting impact on the child's development—is a useful lens through which to examine the consequences of family separation due to migration. The aim of this review was to highlight the impacts of separation due to migration on children's attachment security and psychosocial outcomes to illustrate that family separation—regardless of whether is it “chosen” by a family who sees no other path towards safety or prosperity or inflicted by legal policies associated with immigration, detention, and deportation—negatively affects children's attachment security with serious consequences for their well-being.

依恋理论——建立在婴儿天生需要与看护者建立依恋关系的知识之上，以及与看护者的分离或失去对孩子的发展有持久影响的知识——是一个有用的镜头，通过它可以检查因移民而家庭分离。这篇综述的目的是强调由于迁移而导致的分离对儿童依恋安全和心理社会结果的影响，以说明家庭分离——无论它是由一个看不到其他通往安全或繁荣之路的家庭“选择”还是受到通过与移民、拘留和驱逐相关的法律政策——对儿童的依恋安全产生负面影响，并对他们的福祉造成严重后果。