After reading The Leavers by Lisa Ko about the story of the struggle of adopted children of an illegal immigrant in the US, I am interested to learn more about what is the current state of adopted children of illegal immigrants. Even adopted at a young age, Deming still has a hard time fitting into the community. This prompt me to think will Deming be better off in America with better external opportunities, such as education, or go back to China with his mom with more internal care and a stronger relationship with the culture. Therefore, I did some research on the situation of adopted children of illegal immigrants.
Exhausted and crying, Araceli Ramos Bonilla was greeted by her family on the tarmac before she was deported. She had been waiting for her daughter, Alexa, to come home. However, she was taken away by US immigration authorities and forced to give her daughter to live with her foster family. It took the judge 28 minutes in total to decide the foster family for Alexa while Araceli and the immigration attorney had no idea about the proceeding of the case until the decision was made.
Another factor that intensifies the issue is the “Zero-Tolerance” policy of the Trump administration, which resulted in children being separated from their parents who are illegal immigrants. Although officials insist they are doing everything they can to reunite the families, the children are not eligible for release or reunification or the process took significant time to process. One specific example is that after a seven-year court fight trying to get her daughter back from a Missouri family, it ended because the Guatemalan mother’s parental rights were terminated. The Trump administration’s policy of family separation has resulted in the detention of more migrant children than ever before, with over 13,000 in total.
When US Customs and Border Protection takes illegal immigrants’ children into custody, it is supposed to be a safe and short process no matter the children have parents or not. However, we see the difference in reality. This is the reflection of the concept of the “One” and the “Other”. Due to cultural background and race, the illegal immigrants and their children are the “Other” here. Their voice is not heard by society due to low income and low social status. Their human rights are violated sometimes and they are not treated properly. We should pay more attention to learning about the situation of foster children and what is the best plan for them.
Your post was very interesting to me! I have obviously heard of this troubling situation, but seeing the pictures of children and knowing they’re separated from their families is very troubling. The picture with the family moments before deportation is devastating and I hope that as a whole we can come to a better alternative around the world.
Thank you for sharing the author’s background and story. You have great insights on immigration issues in the United States, which helps me understand this story and the information behind it. With the photos and information you provided, I can’t imagine how unacceptable it is because the immigrants will take a photo with their relatives before they are separated.