Citizen Children of Deported Parents in Foster Care

Submitted by James Kenny, PhD on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 10:00

An estimated 46,000 undocumented parents with citizen children have been deported over the past few years.  Over 5000 of the children left behind are in foster care.  These children, many of whom should never have been separated from their parents in the first place, face often insurmountable obstacles to reunifying with their mothers and fathers. Though child welfare departments are required by federal law to reunify children with any parents who are able to provide for the basic safety of their children, detention makes this all but impossible. Then, once parents are deported, families are often separated for long periods.  To learn more, go to: arc.org/shatteredfamilies.