Exploring the Effects of U.S. Immigration Enforcement on the Well-being of Citizen Children in Mexican Immigrant Families

In this article, we draw on ecocultural theories of risk and resilience to examine qualitatively the experiences of U.S. citizen children living with their undocumented Mexican parents. Our purpose is to render visible the various ways in which citizen children confront and navigate the possibilitie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:RSF : Russell Sage Foundation journal of the social sciences 2017-07, Vol.3 (4), p.53-69
Main Authors: Gulbas, Lauren E, Zayas, Luish
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adversity
Anthropology
Child welfare
Children
Citizens
Citizenship
Deportation
Enforcement
Families & family life
Fathers
Immigrants
Immigration
Immigration detention
Immigration enforcement
Immigration policy
Influence
Mothers
Noncitizens
Parents
Parents & parenting
Resilience
undocumented
Well being
Wellbeing
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Summary:In this article, we draw on ecocultural theories of risk and resilience to examine qualitatively the experiences of U.S. citizen children living with their undocumented Mexican parents. Our purpose is to render visible the various ways in which citizen children confront and navigate the possibilities—and realities—of parental deportation. We develop a framework to conceptualize the complex multidimensional, and often multidirectional, factors experienced by citizen children vulnerable to or directly facing parental deportation. We situate youth well-being against a backdrop of multiple factors to understand how indirect and direct encounters with immigration enforcement, the mixed-status family niche, and access to resources shape differential child outcomes. In doing so, we offer insights into how different factors potentially contribute to resilience in the face of adversity.
ISSN:2377-8253
2377-8261
2377-8261
DOI:10.7758/rsf.2017.3.4.04