The  Article Summary :The effects of undocumented parental status on families and children (2016)

The  Article Summary :The effects of undocumented parental status on families and children (2016)

The effects of undocumented parental status on families and children (2016) was written by Cecilia Menjívar and Andrea Gómez Cervantes addressing the “influence of undocumented parental status on the development of US-born children in mixed-status families.” Menjívar and Cervante observe that according to literature, 25 percent of all US children are estimated to be living within at least one undocumented parent despite 79% of those children being legal US citizens.  The article examines how US immigration policies are affecting families of undocumented parents and the impact on the children. The article notes more than 400 000 people are detained in supervision programs, and despite the stereotype that immigrants are criminals, more than 83% of all criminal charges posed on immigrants are illegal re-entries.

According to Menjívar and Cervante, the current problems affecting immigrants are due to immigration policies enacted between 1980 and 2000, including the immigration reform and Control Act that has caused a great reduction of migration circular flows as people fear risking being unable to re-enter the country if they leave. The authors note that the criminalization of undocumented immigration has negatively affected many people, and the impact has spilled over to their communities and families..

The article notes that among the effect of immigration policies on children and families are associated with the contextual risk of lack of legal documents and include poverty and labor exploitation. Menjívar and Cervante state that implementation of the immigration policies forces children of undocumented parents to live in poverty and financial constraints. The authors observe that due to lack of legal requirements, undocumented workers are mostly employed in unskilled labor fields, which lead to job instability leading to instability in the family. Children from such families tend to have low educational attainment; the article states that children with undocumented parents were found to perform poorly in the WRAT-4 tests. Furthermore, Menjívar and Cervante recognize that children of undocumented parents are not enrolled for pre-K programs or to other services. Furthermore, some studies have indicated that children suffer from developmental, cognitive, and psychological effects of the big change in their life when parents are deported.

The article recommends a change of immigration policies and the implementation of regular legislation that will involve the normal citizenship process. The authors state that the right thing to do in the case of undocumented immigrants is to permanently legalize them but with the condition that they have lived in the country for many years with no criminal record. This will prevent many family problems and children living in insecurity and fear.

References

Menjivar, C., and A. G. Cervantes. “The Effects of Undocumented Parental Status on Families and Children: Influence of Parental Undocumented Status on the Development of US-born Children in Mixed Status Families.” (2016).