Central American Immigrant and Refugee Students’ Academic Experiences during Family Separation and Upon Reunification in California

• In Event: Poster Group 8
  In Poster Session: Central American Immigrant and Refugee Students’ Academic Experiences during Family Separation and Upon Reunification in California

Proposal

Low-income families from developing countries often face financial constraints that prevent them from migrating together (Patel et al., 2016). Compared to other immigrant families, Central American families, especially those of Salvadorean, Guatemalan, and Honduran origin, are more vulnerable to family separation, as they are more likely to be low-income and experience greater financial constraints (Lopez et al., 2018; Pottinger, 2005). While immigrant families often make sacrifices with the assumption that such family separations will allow them to provide their children a better future; unfortunately, in most cases, children end up suffering negative life outcomes as a result of their and their family’s migration experiences (Mitrani et al., 2004). Most immigrant families and children see migration as an educational investment; however, this investment does not always pay out, as parental migration resulting in family separation often leads to a decrease in children’s academic performance (Abrego, 2014). Centering on the type of family separation that occurs from parents migrating to the U.S. and leaving their children behind in their countries of origin, the current study relied on platicas with 10 students between the ages of 12 and 17 to examine Central American immigrant and refugee students’ academic experiences during the separation and upon reunification. Apart from exploring a possible connection between family separation, reunification, and academic experiences, this investigation was also done to explore how schools, communities, and society in general, are supporting this specific population of children. Unlike previous literature that mostly focuses on highlighting the experiences of individuals before reunification or the perspectives of adults, such as educators, researchers, and caregivers or parents, the current study emphasizes the perspectives of the immigrant and refugee students themselves, and gives them a platform to express and share their feelings and experiences in the U.S. The study was guided by five main theories and one concept, including Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, attachment theory, theory of ambiguous loss, legal violence, and racist nativism. Each theory and concept were used to help investigate a specific phenomenon. LatCrit and racist nativism were used to examine the different factors impacting Central American families’ immigration experiences, including family separation, through a racial and political lens. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory helped understand the different factors that may impact the life experiences of the students as they settled in the U.S. Attachment theory, through the lens of LatCrit, was used to explain how family separation can be detrimental to parent-child relationships during the separation and upon reunification. The theory of ambiguous loss helped further investigate how separation from family members back in their home countries may be impacting students’ reunification and academic experiences in the U.S. Furthermore, legal violence shed light onto students’ experiences with the legal system as they try to start a new life in the U.S. as members of a marginalized immigrant group. As a result of data collection being finalized by the summer of 2023, the findings and conclusions will not be available until the conference presentation.

Author

• Karen Magana, University of California Los Angeles