Deportation's forgotten children

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 11, 2013 | Karen Bass and Lucille Roybal-Allard

[moonshinner_09]

As Congress looks toward meaningful immigration reform, we must take care not to neglect one of the most heartbreaking problems within the current, broken system: what happens to children when their parents or guardians are deported.

Currently, according to the Applied Research Center's report "Shattered Families," at least 5,000 children of immigrants live in U.S. foster care because their parents were detained or deported. If the current trends hold, the center estimates, 15,000 more children over the next five years will be ripped away from their mothers and fathers as a result of federal immigration enforcement actions.

In the wake of immigration arrests, law enforcers often don't allow detained immigrant parents the opportunity to make proper arrangements for the care of their children. Kids can come home from school, only to find their mothers and fathers gone.

[moonshinner_09]

Additionally, parents may be asked to find a baby-sitter who is in the country legally or to prove "legitimate employment." With the clock ticking, undocumented parents, who face barriers to getting services or jobs because of their immigration status, can permanently lose their parental rights, leaving child welfare agencies to care for their children if they cannot be placed with a documented family member.

I never see them hold the illegals accountable for putting their kids in this position in the first place.The illegals created their own problems.They only themselves to blame and should of made arrangements long ago for what to do with their kids.

[Cheerio]

Let's hear from the Obama media about the broken families when a parent or parents are thrown in jail or prison. Does he also have a solution for that? Grant all these jailbirds a free pass and release onto the streets?

[rovenstinez]

Okay, now let’s put the shoe on the other foot. I am in Mexico, I get a call from Sotero who is in Omaha, he left his family here in Mexico, his children, and won’t be seeing them for MANY months. People DO make choices, and each choice has a consequence. Can we all SING in unison that last stanza and chorus...Every choice has a consequence.. The Bible calls it sowing and reaping, so people do stupid things, and someone is going to suffer. When will people ever learn...... I know of a dozen families broken and shattered because the bread winner wanted to make a bit more money and earn it in dollars.

[dfwgator]

Parents should have thought about that before they sneaked illegally into the country.

I’m sure Meh-Hee-Co welcomes people into their southern border....NOT!

[txrefugee]

Of course, children belong with their parents, so send them all back together. After all, the children wouldn’t be here if their parents hadn’t broken the law and come here illegally.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I don’t do recreational drugs so I wish Karen and Lucille would explain to me what they mean by the system being “broken”. I’m pretty sure you must need to be a junky or a pothead to see it that way.

[BenLurkin]

“what happens to children when their parents or guardians are deported”

Send

Them

With

Them

[2banana]

Why would you not take you children with you if you were deported???

[GeronL]

They can take the kids with them with they leave, can’t they?

[donna]

American kids grow up in foreign countries all the time while their parents serve away from home.

Then, together, they all go home to America.

How’s that for an American Dream Plan? Go Home Together!

[MurrietaMadman]

Dear Karen and Lucille,

When are you going to do a piece about all the American families that have been shattered by the drunken presence of illegals in their community?

[kabar]

Currently, according to the Applied Research Center's report "Shattered Families," at least 5,000 children of immigrants live in U.S. foster care because their parents were detained or deported. If the current trends hold, the center estimates, 15,000 more children over the next five years will be ripped away from their mothers and fathers as a result of federal immigration enforcement actions.

BS. The parents can take their children with them. The only way they can stay is if they find legal guardians for them. Any seperation due to deportation is solely the decision of the parents.

[gitmo]

I guess if Mexico were a communist country, the left would deport all the kids.

[Utilizer]

No sympathy here. Crackhead, pothead, bankrobber, carjacker -they all screw up their offspring's lives when they have to reside in the GreyBar Hotel. Place the blame on the squirrelbait criminals where it belongs, not the laws that they decided to ignore (not to mention criminal intent irrelevant of law) and point that out. Illegal aliens are just that: illegal.

Now they look for sympathy because they committed some illegal act? Tell them not to even bother with trying to cry a river about it, as they will find no comfort here.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Yep! Had to hand him back to “Daddy Castro” for him to take care of.

[yldstrk]

the children can return home with them?

[PieterCasparzen]

He’s from the government and he’s here to help.

[Grams A]

Never understood what all the noise was about with this issue. Kids should be “placed” with their parents. End of problem.

[Victoria_R]

Okay, end “birthright citizenship” (aka “anchor babies”) and deport them as a family. Europe doesn’t have “birthright citizenship” and I’m tired of liberals preaching how European socialism is so much better.

[gspurlock]

This is insane. When adults are deported, their children should be deported along with them. Children do not belong to the state.