The aftermath of deportation: Effects on the family

The primary aim of this qualitative study was to understand how Latino/a families in the United States are affected when a family member is deported. The U.S. Census Bureau (2008) reports that 4% of the population consists of undocumented immigrants and that 47% of households containing an undocumented immigrant are family households (e.g. have a spouse or child). Given this large number of families liable for experiencing deportation, the need to conduct a study exploring this phenomenon is important. Five individuals who identified as Latino/a and had had a family member deported were interviewed about their experience. Data was analyzed using a phenomenological approach from which five main themes emerged: lifestyle changes and adjustments, social support, impact on family unit, impact on individual family members, and solutions to family separation. These results are discussed as well as possible implications.