Children of Deportees: Educational and Psychological Impact of Separation

• In Event: Educational Discourses on Crossing Borders and Continents

Abstract

We will share the results of a preliminary qualitative study of the experiences of ten U.S.-born children whose fathers were forcefully removed from the United States. The children presented are participants of a larger study that is currently underway in a large metropolitan area in California. We will also present new research instruments that were specifically designed to explore the impact of deportation on children. Results from our project will help teachers and school counselors identify various support systems needed by children of deportees and to find ways in which educators can work together to minimize the turbulence of students’ negative experiences while ensuring that all children are provided with a quality education, despite their parents’ circumstances.

Author

• Ali Borjian, San Francisco State University