Young Scholars Program Research Summary - October 18, 2017 - Latino U.S.-Citizen Children of Immigrants: A Generation at High Risk

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Young Scholars Program Research Summary (October 18, 2017) examines how immigration policies and enforcement practices shape the development and well-being of Latino U.S.-citizen children with immigrant parents. Grounded in selected YSP scholars’ empirical studies from 2009–2015, it reviews mechanisms linking parents’ legal status—detention, deportation, and related fear—to developmental outcomes. It contrasts risk patterns with promotive and protective factors, drawing on data from parents, children, teachers, and clinicians amid heightened enforcement and family separation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Research Questions and Scope

Parental Legal Status and Child Development

Study Population and Methods

Data Sources and Measures

Context: Detentions, Deportations, and Demographics

Scale and Disproportionate Impact

Mechanisms Linking Enforcement to Outcomes

Risk, Protective Factors, and Social Determinants

YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM RESEARCH SUMMARY OCTOBER 18, 2017 Latino U.S.-Citizen Children of Immigrants: A Generation at High Risk Summary of Selected Young Scholars Program (YSP) Research by Lisseth Rojas-Flores, Ph.D. Children of immigrants are growing up in a unique historical context in the United States—a time marked by aggressive immigration policies and practices. Although much has been written on the topic of immigration—and immigration enforcement in particular—few empirical studies have examined the impact of immigration policies on the development of children of immigrants. The Foundation for Child Development is committed to supporting young children in reaching their developmental potential, especially children growing up under conditions of economic instability and social exclusion. For over 10 years, through its Young Scholars Program (YSP), the Foundation has sponsored substantial research with vulnerable children populations, particularly children of immigrants. Between 2009 and 2015, a period marked by heightened immigration enforcement (Gonzalez-Barrera & Krogstad, 2016), when approximately 500,000 parents were deported (Pew Research Center, 2015) studies conducted by YSP scholars have examined the social circumstances of this population, as well as the consequences of immigration policies and practices on the well-being of children of immigrants. This working paper reviews the scholarly work of selected YSP scholars on the impact of parental legal status on child development. The work of scholars such as Drs. Joanna Dreby, Kalina Brabeck, Cecilia Ayón, Christia Spears Brown, and Lisseth Rojas-Flores exemplifies the rigorous empirical inquiry and understanding of issues that the Foundation for Child Development seeks to promote on behalf of children affected by social exclusion. Their research focuses on Latino school-aged children, ages 6 to 12 years, from mixed-status families living in various regions of the continental United States, including eastern and western states as well as mid-southeastern states. The scholarly work of these YSP researchers, taken together, explores the “assets” of this population (addressed later in this review also as “protective factors”) and highlights the vulnerability of Latino children of immigrants. Using rigorous empirical methodologies, including collecting data from multiple classes of informants (parents, children, teachers, clinicians), standardized measures, semi-structured interviews, and secondary analysis of national data sets, these scholars have examined the impact of immigration enforcement practices and policies on Latino U.S.-citizen children living in mixed-status families This resource has been developed by the Foundation for Child Development. For additional resources, [please visit our website:](please visit our website: www.fcd-us.org)[ www.fcd-us.org](please visit our website: www.fcd-us.org) with authorized or unauthorized parents. Specifically, they examine the effects of parents’ legal status, including parents who have directly experienced immigration enforcement action, such as detention or deportation, on Latino child outcomes. Over the past two decades, the number of detained and deported migrants has grown exponentially, leading to over 4.2 million deportations since 2000 (Meissner, Kerwin, Chishti, & Bergeron, 2013) . Of the estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in 2014, about 54%(5 .8 million) came from Mexico and 15%(1. 7 million) from Central American countries (Passel & Cohn, 2016) . For broader demographic profile regarding unauthorized 1 immigrant populations in the United States, see Table 1 starting on page 3. Latino immigrants are disproportionately detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with people from Mexico and Central America accounting for 91% of the removals (Rosenblum & McCabe, 2014) . The vast majority of those detained and deported are Latino males (Rosenb

FAQs

What is the focus of the Young Scholars Program research summary?

It reviews selected YSP scholars’ work on how parents’ legal status and experiences with immigration enforcement affect child development and well-being for Latino U.S.-citizen children.

Which child population does the research emphasize?

The studies focus on Latino school-aged children, ages 6 to 12, from mixed-status families living across different regions of the United States.

How do YSP scholars study the relationship between enforcement and outcomes?

They use rigorous empirical approaches, including data collection from multiple informants (parents, children, teachers, clinicians), standardized measures, semi-structured interviews, and secondary analysis of national datasets.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob