A Father’s Long Battle For His Daughters

A deported father fights for custody of his daughters:

“The girls ended up with their maternal grandmother, who was destitute and suffered from memory lapses, so social workers took them away. They joined the thousands of children nationwide who are under custody of child protection agencies after their parents have been placed in deportation proceedings or deported. An estimated 5,000 such children are in foster care, about 1,000 of them in Los Angeles County, according to juvenile court attorneys and the Applied Research Center, a nonprofit racial justice think tank.

“Many follow their deported mothers and fathers, if the parents can convince U.S. agencies that they can provide a stable life in their home countries. In such cases, social workers from Los Angeles escort the children to parents at joyous airport reunions, usually in Mexico and El Salvador.

“But sometimes parents fail. Their children either languish in foster care or they’re adopted by American couples. Some never see their biological parents again.”

Published: Dec 2, 2012
Length: 8 minutes (2,043 words)

Without a Country: Immigrant Tries to Get Back to the Life He Knew

A man, brought to the U.S. as a toddler, is suddenly deported to Mexico. He’s now trying to get back:

“The train had covered 10 miles through the high desert when it stopped at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint. An inspector and his canine walked by on the gravel path. Luna stifled his breath and prayed. Then he felt a sharp tug and a dog’s hot breath.

“A German shepherd sank its teeth through Luna’s two shirts, locked onto his ribs and dragged him out from under the train. He clutched his side.”

Published: Jan 8, 2012
Length: 8 minutes (2,137 words)