Attorney Carlos A. Gamino has been a Wisconsin immigration lawyer who practiced in Milwaukee, Waukesha and the surrounding areas.
Undocumented families are often separated and forced to suffer the consequences of breaking American deportation laws. When one or both parents are deported, or when one or both parents are living in the U.S., things get messy for the kids – and the situation has already reached crisis-level.
Crisis on the Border: Deportation Laws that Tear Families Apart
When kids want to reunite with parents living in the U.S., they often resort to tackling the trek from Mexico on their own. Even young children—those aged 10 and below—are trying to make it despite the harsh conditions and massive risks that crossing the border carries.
The government estimates that about 60,000 of these unaccompanied minors could be apprehended at the border this year alone.
But what happens to these children? Do they ever get to see their parents, and where do they end up?
Deportation Laws and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency
While Immigration and Customs Enforcement has policies in place to help ensure that parental rights aren’t disrupted, there’s nothing saying that children who make it across the border alone should be taken to their parents.
In fact, it’s the opposite.
Children are often returned to Mexico and dumped in shelters with little or no adult supervision. In April, a nine-year-old girl committed suicide at one of these facilities.
It Happens to Parents, Too
Parents who are here in an undocumented status are often forced to leave behind citizen-children. On average, 17 children are put into state custody each day when their immigrant parents are detained or removed from the country. These kids have to move, leave everything behind, and start fresh as they bounce from foster home to foster home.
What Can You Do if Your Family Was Torn Apart by Deportation Laws?
It’s important that you know that there are immigration lawyers in Milwaukee who are willing to help you. You may be able to bring your family members here through several different avenues, and if you’re facing deportation yourself, you may be eligible for relief.
