Staying a family after deportation

Roughly 4.5 million U.S. born children are estimated to have at least one parent who is undocumented. Recent policies have provided some relief, but those laws offer little relief to the many families already broken up by deportation. For Elizabeth Arteagas, her father’s deportation and her mother’s return back to Mexico forced her to the make difficult choice to return to the United States, where she has citizenship and opportunities she won't find in Mexico. "I was 14 when I made the decision to leave my parents [in Mexico]. It was one of the hardest things we have had to do as a family. But I knew I wanted to be someone one day, so I found myself at the airport saying goodbye. When people find out that I don’t live with my parents they ask all kinds of questions: 'Why are your parents in Mexico?' and 'Why do you live with your uncle?'" Read her account on We'Ced.