When a parent is deported, the aftermath can devastate a family. In many instances, immigration officials will not even allow the deported parent to make arrangements for their children. A father of three young boys that was deported to Mexico after being stopped for traffic violations is currently back in the United States under humanitarian parole, but he is set to go back to Mexico by Dec. 23.
He is currently battling for his parental rights in North Carolina, where his sons live. The mother of the children and all three of the children are U.S. citizens. However, the mother is currently incarcerated and has been deemed an unfit parent. The father would like for his sons to go back to Mexico to live with him, but child-welfare officials are pushing to have the man’s parental rights terminated, and would like to see the foster parents of the boys adopt the children.
Mexican social services authorities deemed that while the home the children would live in with the father in Mexico does not have running water, it does have a refrigerator, plenty of room for active playing, a microwave, television and a school close by.
Reunification of families is of extremely high importance for many individuals that have immigrated to the United States. Often times it is the case that an individual in the United States is looking to get green cards for their family — spouses, children or parents of U.S. citizens most typically have the best success with this. However, this case is working in seemingly the reverse, but the same issue is at heart — keeping the family unit intact.
In too many heart breaking cases, parents will lose custody of their children as a result of immigration issues rather than because they are an unfit parent. Individuals can fight to avoid this kind of outcome by seeking the assistance of an experienced immigration attorney either to seek family-based green cards or fight deportation proceedings.
Source: Winston-Salem Journal “Deported man tries to win back custody of sons in Alleghany,” Michael Hewlett, Nov. 19, 2012
- Our firm has experience with cases involving family immigration. For more information, please visit our Maryland family reunification page.