Deportation: A Holistic View of How it affects the Children Left Behind & Policy Recommendations

In the United States, the issue of immigration, particularly deportation is never-ending. The challenge policy-makers face is implementing policy that is effective in controlling the United States (U.S.) undocumented population while minimizing the harm done by deportation when children are involved. Inarguably, the deportation of one or both parents has devastating consequences for the children they leave behind. This thesis takes a two-part approach to understand in depth the consequences of deportation as a structural barrier and obstacle for children of immigrants, particularly second-generation Americans or US-born children. The focus is on providing a holistic view of the difficulties experienced by children of deported parents as well as ways to alleviate these difficulties. It starts off by establishing various hardships these children face and follows with a series of policy and practice problems that fail to address, create, or exacerbate these hardships. It concludes with a series of approaches that produce solutions to the various policy and practice issues uncovered