Immigration Article of the Day: Fractured Families: The Unintended Consequences of Immigration Enforcement for Families by Molly Rovinski, Nathan P. Goodman, & Karla Segovia

Fractured Families: The Unintended Consequences of Immigration Enforcement for Families by Molly Rovinski, Nathan P. Goodman, & Karla Segovia

Abstract

Family integrity is an emergent result of individuals' attempts to coordinate plans on residence, caregiving, and economic support over time. U.S. immigration enforcement policies produce both intended and unintended consequences for the family, often undermining the stability of family units that are essential to society. Policies that separate children from parents at the border or detain and deport individual family members illustrate the direct use of the state to intentionally separate families. However, there are also unintended consequences of immigration policy that are of equal significance. Restrictions on circular migration have transformed temporary labor migration into long-term, often undocumented, settlement, forcing migrants to choose between financial support and physical presence with their family. Heightened border security has increased the danger of crossings, leading to ambiguous loss when migrants disappear in the desert, leaving family members in prolonged states of grief and uncertainty, disrupting short-and long-term plans. This paper argues that the consequences of U.S. immigration policy, whether intended or unintended, extend beyond the individual family unit and into the broader fabric of societies both domestically and internationally.