Family Reunification in the U.S., Post-Deportation

Co-funded with the Carnegie Corporation of New York

When an individual is deported, the entire family is faced with a difficult decision: to live divided by borders or to attempt to reunite. Those who are deported may be compelled to return by factors such as emotional attachments to their children. Yet, there are few studies focused on those who return to the U.S. undetected post-deportation. Sociologist Carolina Valdivia will examine the consequences of immigration enforcement through the lens of deportees who have returned and their families. Through qualitative in-depth interviews with families in San Diego where at least one person has returned undetected post-deportation, she will address these questions: (1) What factors inform families’ decisions to reunite in the U.S.? (2) What challenges and resources do they encounter during the reunification process? (3) What are their everyday experiences? (4) How do these circumstances impact and are shaped by aspects of family life, and their participation with social institutions? Valdivia will examine living arrangements post-deportation, focusing on factors returnees consider when making decisions about where to live, and when/how to reunite. She will capture the methods and challenges of reentry, financial and emotional costs associated with reunification, and the periods of separation that families endure. This will include an analysis of how families’ reunification attempts are similar/different than their initial migration journey.