The Trump administration seems to have come up with its answer in the current “zero tolerance” policy for migrant families, one that appears to be based in deterrence. Practically, this means that, for the families making the dangerous journey to the U.S. border, what awaits them is not respite, but trauma: the separation of families and the potential deportation of parents without their children. It is a clarion call to those considering migration north—here, in America, we will take your children. And you may not see them again for a very long time. This, apparently, is how you turn off the idea of America: take the dreams of a better life in this country, and turn them into nightmares.

As a means of deterrence, the policy has failed: Illegal crossings in March saw a fourfold increase since the same time last year. For the families—especially the children—who have already been torn apart in the process, and for whom deterrence is a ship long since sailed, the effects of this policy are profound and deeply disturbing. Alan Shapiro, the senior medical director for community pediatric programs at Montefiore Health System, put it bluntly: “This is government-sanctioned torture of children.”

To understand the breadth of this suffering, I spoke with several experts who work with migrant children from Central American countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Each made a point of highlighting the trauma visited upon these children even before they reach the border of the United States.

“They have come from a place where they have been exposed to incredible turmoil and sometimes very severe trauma—whether the killing of one parent or family member, domestic violence, plus abject poverty,” said Shapiro. “There is a lack of food, poor living conditions, dangerous neighborhoods—all of that is the baseline of the children we are seeing. It’s critical to understand that these are not people looking for a better life, they are looking to flee dangerous environments with no protection.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared this month that domestic abuse and gang violence do not constitute grounds for asylum, thereby making it nearly impossible for many of these Central American migrants to claim legal grounds for staying in the United States. “The asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune,” Sessions wrote in his ruling. Quoting an earlier decision, Sessions downplayed the severity of the situation in places like Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. “Evidence consistent with acts of private violence or that merely shows that an individual has been the victim of criminal activity does not constitute evidence of persecution on a statutorily protected ground.”

Characterizing asylum seekers as “merely” the victims of criminal activity is telling, a rhetorical waving-off of troubles by the nation’s highest law-enforcement officer. Donna Abbott, the branch director of refugee services for Bethany Christian Services (which places unaccompanied migrant children in foster care), sees it differently. “The terminology is different, but just because it’s called a gang doesn’t mean it’s not a terrorist group,” she told me. “They recruit children, they use threats of violence, and they terrify communities and the most vulnerable populations.”