Deportation Takes a Tragic Toll on the Children of Immigrant Families

August 19, 2012 (Press-News.org) Stability, continuity, a sense of belonging -- these features of daily life that most of us take for granted are essential to a child's emotional wellbeing. It's hard to imagine a child being ripped away from a beloved parent or another close family member at a young age. Yet, that's exactly what has been happening for a long time under U.S. immigration policy, and new research shows it is the children who are paying for it.

Kids Fear That Their Life Could Be Uprooted At Any Moment

According to a 2010 analysis from the Pew Hispanic center, an estimated 340,000 babies born in the United States in 2008 were the offspring of at least one parent with undocumented immigration status. Essentially, this means nearly one in every ten American children faces the threat of deportation of a parent.

A study released in July, 2012 from SUNY University at Albany reveals the deep effect anxiety over immigration laws can have on children. Researchers interviewed parents and children of Mexican families living in America, and found that children of immigrants showed an increase in crying, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, clingy behavior, general fear and anxiety, and fears of law enforcement officials.

In many cases, the symptoms affected U.S.-born children (who are automatically U.S. citizens) even when they had not had relatives deported, or did not have any undocumented relatives. The study found many children are confused about their legal status and developed inaccurate viewpoints about immigration from media coverage of the issue.

Yet, these fears do not appear to be entirely unfounded. A report last year by the Applied Research Center found that well over 5,000 children in the U.S. were in foster care because one or both parents had been deported. Another study recently prepared for Congress by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicated that between January and June of 2011, more than 46,400 individuals who claimed to be parents of children born in the U.S. were deported.

Don't Allow Fear to Traumatize Your Children; Call an Immigration Attorney

If you're an immigrant and a parent, you can take steps to shield your children from fear and anxiety. Contact an immigration attorney and make sure your immigration status is squared away. Your attorney can also help provide you with the tools to explain to your child what it means to be a U.S. citizen, that whatever they see on television, there will be no midnight raids or handcuffs in the back of police cars once your documentation is in line. Get in touch with an immigration attorney today, and help give your kids the opportunity to just enjoy childhood.

Article provided by Kanu & Associates, P.C.
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