"When this was announced, it was like a huge sigh of relief," said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children's Partnership, a nonprofit children's advocacy organization based in Los Angeles. "The opportunity that families are going to be able to stay together as they apply for permanent residency is a direct commitment to child well-being. It's an acknowledgment that parents and caregivers are critical to children's healthy development."
Some research shows that the fear of deportation of a parent or caregiver impacts children's ability to do well in school. "Absenteeism, repeating a grade and dropping out are all more likely" for children who have an undocumented parent, said Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, associate professor of education at UC Santa Barbara. She added that undocumented parents are also less likely to apply for public programs for which their U.S. citizen children are eligible, like Head Start, food stamps and public health insurance.
Modesto resident Mirna Cisneros, whose husband and three children are U.S. citizens, said she was elated when she learned about the new policy. "Imagine, I even cried when I found out," Cisneros said in Spanish. Still, she said she won't truly believe it until she is actually able to apply for permanent residency.
Cisneros said her three children, who are 17, 16 and 11 years old and are also U.S. citizens, have told her many times they are afraid she will be deported. She said her middle son told her, "'Mamá, I'm always thinking about what will happen if they grab you and take you to Mexico."
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