Journal of Social Welfare and Human Rights

“I Put a Mask on” The Human Side of Deportation Effects on Latino Youth
Horner, Pilar, Sanders, Laura; Martinez, Ramiro; Doering-White, John; Lopez, William; Delva, Jorge

Abstract
Recent research on immigration has looked at forced deportation issues and specifically on the mental health issues of immigrant parents separated from their children rather than from the child’s experience. Hispanic adolescents residing in the United States who live with the fear of being separated from their parents either through forced parental deportation or as a result of being detained themselves may face serious health and mental health problems during the crucial developmental stage of adolescence and pre-adolescence. This study looks at twenty children ages 11-18 (males and females). Qualitative methods were used including focus groups and individual in-depth interviews to examine issues among youth who were at risk of being deported and/or whose parents had been deported or were at risk of deportation. Evidence from the study demonstrated that the youth have complex understandings of the stress of living in undocumented families that can be categorized in individual, social, and structural levels.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jswhr.v2n2a3