Im/migrant Children’s Education Experiences and Families’ Sacrifices in a Global Pandemic

Family separation policy impacts on children’s education and wellbeing are critical issues of our time, as reports reveal the dreadful circumstances to which im/migrant[1] children and families have recently been subjected in government facilities across the country. The family separation policy and other immigration approaches have become increasingly consequential in shaping how im/migrant children experience life, come of age, and adapt in the United States (Gonzales, 2016; Suárez-Orozco et al., 2011). This paper argues that while im/migrant parents believed in the promise of a better life for their children as they migrated, COVID-19 and remote schooling contributed to a breakdown of care structures once common in the U.S., making conditions in 2020 difficult for parents and children already dealing with the trauma of recent detention or separation at the border. Ultimately, we argue that understanding the educational experiences of im/migrant parents and children in the U.S. during 2020 requires consideration of the multiple disruptions they suffered along the way. Our ethnographic findings reveal the complicated layered consequences of immigration policy on the everyday educational lives of im/migrant children and their parents.<br>[1] We use the term im/migrant in reference to the flow of people across national boundaries, accounting for “migrants,” “immigrants,” and “refugees.” Research participants held different immigration status, which in many cases were transitional and not fixed, so we were intentional about seeking to reflect this diversity in our choice of terms.