About 4.5 million of U.S.-born children live in “mixed-status families,” that is, they have parents and siblings who are undocumented immigrants. As in every other American home, these children experience their families as a unit that shares bloodlines, lineage, affection, and interdependence. The fact that they don’t share legal status, however, can be a source of psychological anguish and bring many disruptions to the child’s life, such as the deportation of a family member, economic insecurity, and frequent moves.
Dean Luis H. Zayas and St. Edward’s University professor Laurie Cook Heffron (PhD ’15, MSSW ‘02) explore these topics and offer suggestions for mental health professionals in the November issue of the American Psychological Association’s CYF News.