Family Reunion: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth, Their Transnational Families, and the Bumpy Road to Integration

Background

Unaccompanied migrant youth are children who travel to the U.S./Mexico border without a caregiver. If apprehended, many are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and 95% are placed with a sponsor—over 80% of whom are family members—living in the U.S. These family reunifications are complex. Sponsors are often undocumented and poor, and after years of separation have started new families. In addition, many unaccompanied youth have experienced violence in their country of origin or human rights abuses while in transit which can have significant physical and mental health implications.

The case of unaccompanied youth provides a unique window into the strain of rapid integration, yet empirically little is known about this process. Moreover, conceptually it does not conform to traditional models of immigrant integration. This paper is driven by the following questions: What happens when families divided by borders are abruptly reunited, often after years of separation? How does this affect processes of immigrant integration for the family unit? What community systems are utilized by newly reunited families? Drawing on the literature on transnational families, we examine the process of reunification for unaccompanied youth. We explore the elasticity of family units, and challenge the disintegration/reunification binary common in policy language pertaining to unaccompanied youth. 

Methods

This mixed-methods study is based on two unique data sources from the same national organization. The first is a multi-wave survey of 166 unaccompanied youth (all from Latin American, ages 12-17) and their sponsors. Sponsors were contacted two weeks after placement, with follow-up interviews at month three, six, nine, and 12. At each interval, we gathered data recording the family’s needs, access and utilization of community services. The second dataset is based on in-depth interviews with agency case managers, unaccompanied youth and sponsors (n=31). Data collection for both projects took place between June 2013 and December 2015.

Results

We chart the process of family reunification over time for unaccompanied youth—something no other researchers have done. Six months after release, 98% were enrolled in school, and 28% had a received legal services. However, fewer than 10 had accessed mental health services. Qualitative data suggest that expectations of a positive reunification are often unmet due to experiences of trauma before, during, and after the migration process. Therefore, we find a high level of ongoing stress among unaccompanied youth and sponsors—conditions that raise questions about the importance of intensive, therapeutic case management.

Conclusions and Implications

In addition to providing new empirical insights into the process of family reunification for unaccompanied youth, this study challenges theoretical assumptions about immigrant integration as a single continuum or legal status as a static set of discrete ‘classes’ (refugee, undocumented, legal permanent resident, etc.). Unaccompanied youth do not follow an single integration pattern, and their status can shift dramatically. We offer a model of integration that recognizes the dynamic nature of integration for this population, the role of family in mediating this process, and the need for policy reforms and enhanced social work practice.