The Children Left Behind From Deportations

The current state of Immigration Enforcement is forcing some families apart and leaving children on their own. When separated from parents and other family, children are often left with long-lasting mental impacts.  

Amplified immigration enforcement puts many children in danger of losing their parents or even being deported alongside their parents. When parents are detained, they must decide if they want to bring their children with them. In cases where the parents want to take their kids with them, immigration enforcement will help facilitate parents to make travel arrangements for their kids. Thomas Homan, who is sometimes referred to as the “border czar,” has said, “families can be deported together,” to avoid separation; however, citizen children are not deportable. 

When children who are U.S citizens go to their parents’ home country, the child lacks legal status. In some cases, they can face extreme violence and poverty, and for this reason, a lot of parents decide to leave their children in the United States. While the parents will hope to reunite with their children at some point, it is extremely difficult for undocumented people to get back into the U.S. With parents in another country, it can be difficult to advocate and maintain those rights. 

When the parents decide to leave their children in the United States, they are left to be raised by relatives, friends, and even sometimes their siblings. Sometimes, in larger families, children over 18 are left as guardians of their younger siblings. The guardian would have to be financially responsible for the child and it limits their time for other things such as education and career. 

After parents are deported, children can end up missing school, which puta them behind in their education. Research from Stanford, published on June 17, 2025, shows an increase of student absence amid ICE raids. Schools in California’s Central Valley had an average of 22% increase in student absences in January and February 2025  compared to the same months in previous years. The kids impacted the most were elementary schoolers, who were impacted three times more than high schoolers. 

In addition to missing school, some students are not fully present while in class. With growing fears of their families being divided, and other added stressors, students can emotionally withdraw. This is true in Minnesota communities, according to an article published on TruthOut by Elanor J. Bader. In several of these communities, public school teachers are riding the bus with students to escort them home in case they get home, and their parents aren’t there. This started after the school got reports that children were spending the night home alone after the bus dropped them off at an empty house.

 Monica Byron told TruthOut via email, “The president’s decision to sound thousands of masked, heavily armed agents into our communities has forced educators to adapt in many ways.” 

These precautions were taken after ICE showed up to Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis at dismissal. They now have staff present whenever buses arrive and leave the schools. 

The schools in Minnesota have also been packing students’ food to bring home in the case their family is afraid to leave their home. Students also now have the option to go to school remotely to avoid putting themselves at risk. 

Parents are encouraged to create safety plans in order to make arrangements in the event they are separated from their children; These arrangements include who takes care of the children. 

In cases where no one is available to take care of the children, they will most likely be placed in the child welfare system, where they are the responsibility of the government. 

While these are the surface-level effects of family separations, there is also psychological suffering for the children. They can suffer increased stress levels that can lead to future cognitive and behavioral issues. 

According to an article published by The Center for Migration Studies on April 22, 2025, an attachment to a parent and continued support is “vital for the psychological, physical, and emotional development of a child.” 

In the following months after a parent is taken, children will struggle with eating and feelings of fear and anxiety, which can reduce over time, but developmental and academic declines can continue to affect them over the course of their lives. Parental separation can cause severe behavioral issues, including a negative association with their parent. A continued release of cortisol may also impair a child’s ability to assess and evaluate risk, which can lead to unpredictable behavior in the future, increasing the possibility of violence and crime.

 Mental conditions can later develop, including PTSD and Depression. The same article also claims it can be related to health risk as the children get older, putting them in danger of heart disease, cancer, as well as a “heightened risk of death by suicide.” 

A recent case had a more instant and detrimental effect. Maher Tarabishi is a 62-year-old man originally from Jordan, who dedicated his entire adult life to being his son’s caregiver. Wael Tarabishi, his son, was diagnosed with a chronic muscular disease called Pompe Disease, a genetic condition where sugar builds up in the body’s cells and can cause muscle weakness, feeding problems, an enlarged heart or liver, respiratory problems, and other obstacles. Wael required 24/7 care. 

 This disease confined him to his bed and forced him to live off a feeding tube for the rest of his life because he was unable to walk, eat, or drink.  His father, Maher, became his primary caregiver. When Wael was a child, doctors informed the family that he probably would not live past the age of 10. Under the care of his father, he made it to 30. 

According to Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Maher is a “criminal alien and self-admitted member of the Palestine Liberation Organization – a murderous foreign terrorist organization that has carried out countless terrorist attacks and plane hijackings.” 

The Tarabishi family attorney and the family say that he has never been a PLO member and he has no criminal record. His daughter-in-law, Shahd Arnaout, shared that he “doesn’t even have a speeding ticket.” 

According to an article published by USA Today on February 7, 2026, in 1994, Maher Tarbishi came to the U.S from Kuwait on a tourist visa with his wife and oldest son. Wael was born a year later. Maher made his living as an IT engineer, but he didn’t have luck finding a job in the U.S., which inspired him to open his own shop repairing electronics for his customers. When Wael’s condition worsened, he gave up his job to care for him around the clock. Their bond strengthened in the process of keeping Wael alive. 

Arnout said Maher “…doesn’t have friends. He doesn’t go out. He just wanted to be there for Wael, and he wanted to make sure that he felt like the other kids.” 

Maher’s visa then expired, and he tried to apply for asylum in the U.S. His request was denied in 2006, and a deportation order was issued for his removal. He had been living in the United States for 10 years at that point. 

Maher appealed the order, and in 2011, the Obama Administration filed an order to dismiss the case on the grounds that he was the primary caregiver of his son. He was allowed to stay in the country if he checked in once a year with the immigration officials in Dallas, Texas, and every year he did just that. He went in with his documentation saying he was his son’s caregiver on October 28 every year until this past year, but he didn’t come back. 

He was allowed one call, and he called his family to tell them he was taken. When asked by who, all he could say was, “Take care of Wael.”  

With Maher’s absence, the care of Wael fell to the other family members, who had to work in shifts to maintain his care. They were worried they were not able to do enough for him. Wael’s health declined due to stress because of his father’s absence. 

November 20, Wael had a 103-degree fever and was rushed to the hospital. He developed sepsis and pneumonia in both lungs. He was in critical condition for five days. The family vouched for an at-home nurse assistant to help with his care. 

Wael’s health took a turn for the worse when they got home. His feeding tube dislodged from his stomach, and his mother tried to put it back in. The family was able to get in contact with Maher on a video call, who tried to walk them through how to fix it, but nothing worked, and they eventually called 911.
Wael was rushed into surgery at the hospital, where the surgeons planned to create a new hole for the feeding tube to go through so the wound would heal faster. After several failed attempts, they ended the operation and decided to try again later.

Two days later, they tried again, but they found out that Wael’s chest had become infected. The surgeons removed the port and stitched him up. They thought it would be too risky to make another hole so they once again decided to wait. Wael never regained consciousness, his blood pressure dropped, and his fever went up to 106. After 30 days in the hospital, he passed away in his sleep. 

Before he passed away, Wael made a video from the hospital asking for his dad, saying, “the last month has been hell for me and everyone around me.”

In the moments before his death, he also shared that mentally, he had never been worse. The video also shows Wael talking about how they took his dad for no reason, there was no crime against Maher and ICE officials just took him anyway. 

Maher was devastated after hearing about the loss and entered a state of denial saying, “He’ll be fine. I’ll be released soon. I’m going to see him.” 

The family attorney, Ali Elhorr, had been trying to get Maher released so he could care for his son, his new goal became trying to get him out long enough to go to his funeral. Elhorr had been in contact with multiple ICE officers who had been willing to release him for the funeral. They talked about funeral logistics and conditions imposed by ICE, they had also taken steps to move him to a facility closer to his family. 

Elhorr then got a call that Maher would not be permitted to attend the burial. Elhorr put in a request to speak to the director and was denied. And ICE officials later claimed they never received a request to go to the funeral. 

The burial happened on January 29 after it had been delayed by snow. At the funeral, Arnout looked around, hoping to see Maher, thinking ICE could have changed their minds. He wasn’t there. 

Later, he called asking questions about how many people were there and if anyone asked about him. 

Other options are being explored for Maher’s release, according to Elhorr. 

Children and families go through emotional and physical turmoil when separated at the hands of Immigration Enforcement. 

Copy-Editor: Abigail Stark 

Graphic Designer: Haylee Silva

Fact-Checker: Aliyah Goulette-Brown

Researcher and Reporter: Addison Mason