{"id":14741,"date":"2020-11-06T07:46:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T07:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/haenleystudio.com\/?p=14741"},"modified":"2020-11-14T23:14:20","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T23:14:20","slug":"supporting-children-of-immigrant-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haenleystudio.com\/supporting-children-of-immigrant-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting children of immigrant families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boom! <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
New environment, new country. <\/strong>New language, new neighbors.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Plot twist you\u2019re 8 yrs old, clinging to your mom who\u2019s in the same predicament. This is not a movie, it\u2019s real life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMom! Where are we?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re at the entrance gate of the \u201cLand of freedom & opportunity \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMama, why do I feel so caged?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ever moved to a new location and felt out of place? Did you feel isolated one way or another? Try juggling this experience at 8yrs old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The land of freedom and opportunity seem more like a dream deferred for many. We\u2019re at the height of an unprecedented immigration crisis in the U.S. There\u2019s untold human rights violations conducted daily at detention centers across the U.S. where vulnerable groups are being detained for their quest of refuge – because of their undocumented status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Goal<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"Immigrant<\/a><\/p>\n

This article is to be one of many focusing on the subject of immigration and supporting children of immigrant families. It moves away from the crisis at the borders to conversation regarding integration of immigrant children in our society. It weighs heavily on my own personal experiences; however, I do want to make it clear that immigration is a multifaceted issue. Discussions on immigration can be approached through a number of different angles and arrive at different conclusions or calls to action. While I speak on my experiences, let\u2019s be aware that there are children facing great threats to their safety and security on the daily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We need to have a special focus on immigrant children.
\n<\/strong><\/span>This article is a call to action!<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

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Why does it matter?<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

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The number of immigrants and refugees settling in the U.S. has risen exponentially in the last few decades. According to a Pew Research article<\/a>, there are more than 40 million people living in the U.S. who were born in another country. Researchers point out this accounts for more than one-fifth of the world\u2019s migrants. It\u2019s more than likely that you reading this article have direct experiences with immigrant families or may come from an immigrant family yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data from the Migration Policy Institute<\/a> shows as of 2018-2019 there are about 18,416,000 children under the age of 18 who are \u201cforeign-born\u201d or lives with at least one foreign-born parent. In the article, researchers defined foreign-born as individuals who are U.S. citizens by naturalization and those who are not U.S. Citizens. The category foreign-born accounts for nearly 25% of children in the U.S. under the age of 18. Among immigrant families, surprisingly, research has shown that nearly 88% of children in these families are U.S. born. <\/span><\/p>\n

In New Jersey, my home state, 40% of children under the age of 18 are part of immigrant families. These are significant numbers! It\u2019s wise to analyze ways in which migrating affects children. This is not a research article but a reflection on my own experiences. Moving forward, I aim to use my work and experience to support immigrant families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My Story\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I was a first-generation immigrant child. I came to the US from Haiti at a ripe age of 6 1\/2. Many of the points discussed throughout this article largely reflect my own experience in migrating to the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Few key facts that distinguished my experience off the bat:<\/span><\/p>\n