In 2012, a freshman’s father was deported to Mexico for the first time. For the period that he was gone, she and their siblings believed he was in Mexico on his own accord, to prevent them from being worried about him not coming back. Because of his absence, there were challenges that their family faced.
The freshman, who asked The Whirlwind not to use her name to protect her family’s identity, does have some memory of what the time after her father was deported was like.
“I was only two when he left,” the freshman said. “As kids, we didn’t know he was deported. My mother tried to not tell us. My family would tell me and my siblings he went to Mexico for a bit to see family.”
“My mom had to take care of us all by herself,” the freshman said. “She would always work and had to drop us off. Our aunt took care of us.”
Not having the support from their father made their mother have to work more often to provide for multiple children, which meant their mother was not able to spend as much time raising her family as she had before their father was repatriated.
Their father had lived in the United States since he was a teenager. He came with some of his family, who are all documented citizens. Since his first time being deported, he has been repatriated twice. Each time he was able to cross back over the border without being caught. Now that he is reunited with his family, he assures them he won’t be deported again. Yet the freshman understands that he isn’t a citizen, and is still at risk.
“Most of my childhood memories are with my aunt,” she said. “Having my father there would’ve been a lot better to look back on.”
It became hard for them as they grew up without making memories with their father. It felt like a piece was missing. But because of her aunt taking care of her, they formed a closer bond that stands strong even now. Her aunt provides support for her even now; they see each other often and her aunt cooks for her.
“If my dad wasn’t here [now], it would be hard on me and my siblings [because they’re] still very young. My father works hard to make sure my siblings and I have everything we want,” she said. “Whenever he’s not with us, he’s working. Our connection is really strong, and now that I’m older, it would be harder to deal with the thought of us being separated.”
The United States has grown significantly from immigrants. The percent of people living in the U.S who are documented as immigrants is about 14% according to the American Immigration Council. The U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement states that in 2024 there were over 200,000 repatriated immigrants. As a result of this, some immigrants were separated from their families that were still in the U.S.
According to the National Institutes of Health, families that experience a member being deported are more likely to experience mental health issues in the future, such as stress, and depression due to things such as financial struggles. Separation from a parent or family member due to deportation can take an emotional toll, leading to hardships. Deportation is a reality that some families face.
