By Melinda Hohman, PhD
Most of us have seen the headlines and stories in the news regarding undocumented immigrants being arrested and taken away from their families, with the sole reason being that they were undocumented (Sacchetti, 2017). Usually the stories detail how they came to the U.S. as children — often from Mexico — and lived for 30, 40 or more years in this country, going about their daily lives of working and raising a family. Some do not speak Spanish anymore or may have no family or contacts left in Mexico. Essentially, they are American. Some are arrested with only the clothes they are wearing and the cash in their wallets.
We are left then with wondering about the fates of these people who become deported. What happens to them after they are arrested? Deported? How do they manage after being separated from their families and the lives that they have known?
Deportees are usually taken to various deportation centers in California or the southwest and may be moved several times before being taken to the border where they are dropped off. In Tijuana, Mexico, and other border cities, the Mexican government is addressing the multiple needs of deportees through a repatriation program that includes receiving centers. The purpose of these centers is to “provide Mexicans who return to their country with comprehensive care so that they can contribute … to Mexico’s national development” [translated] (Instituto Nacional de Migracion, 2017, p. 1). The repatriation centers are a collaboration of three levels of government and local and international agencies and organizations.
The Deportee Receiving Center at Modulo Chaparral is located in Tijuana. The Receiving Center is a “one-stop shop” where those who have been deported can receive an orientation, telephone calls to relatives, a medical checkup, food, health insurance and other important documents, utilize an ATM, and receive information about shelters, housing, employment and other social services. Local transportation to hostels or shelters is also provided (Instituto Nacional de Migracion, 2017). About 200 people a day are sent across the border to Modulo Chaparral and are offered services. About ten percent are women.
The National Institute of Adult Education has implemented a program for those who were in school or would like to receive an education by providing information about available options. While limited in space, the program is also geared toward those who only speak English, to help them learn Spanish (Elenes, 2017).
Many clients have no ties to Mexico. They want to stay in Tijuana to be close to the border so that their families can visit or to be nearby should the families decide to move to Mexico. Clients need help with children’s school enrollment, finding housing, employment, and in addressing concerns about being safe in Tijuana. One local Tijuana social service agency that is under the Deportee Receiving Center umbrella is Coalicion Pro Defensa Del Migrante A.C. The agency provides shelters along with case management, and legal, psychological and medical services. The shelter programs are Casa del Migrante (for men) and Instituto Madre Asunta (for women). Clients of both programs this past year were not only deportees from the United States but also included a large number of Haitian refugees who were part of a group of 4,000 who were stranded in Tijuana as well as those from Central America fleeing violence.
Because of our close proximity to the border, the School of Social Work at San Diego State is able to offer both undergraduate and graduate internships in Tijuana, and Instituto Madre Asunta is one of our field sites. Students must be bilingual in Spanish, have a passport, and be willing to commute through the border crossing each day. Responsibilities of the student interns include intakes, referrals for services not provided by the shelter (such as for psychiatric medication or domestic violence services), group work, coordination of volunteers, and documentation of human rights abuses, among other tasks. Working with a variety of clients who are traumatized calls for cultural competence and trauma-informed practice skills in the social work students. Currently students are not placed at the Deportee Receiving Center but will be in the future, perhaps as early as this fall.
Due to the large migration into Tijuana from within Mexico, South America, Central America, and the United States, all of these programs/services are often overwhelmed and can only reach a limited number of people. We don’t know what happens in the long term to the deportees from the United States. The School of Social Work is fortunate that we are able to partner with providers in Tijuana to assist those in immediate need.
References
Elenes, A. (2017, May 20). En BC, ponen en marcha modulo de atencion educative para repartriados. La Journa Baja California, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2017/05/20/en-bc-ponen-en-marcha-modulo-de-atencion-educativa-para-repatriados.
Instituto Nacional de Migracion. (2017). Repatriation program. Accessed August 2017: https://www.gob.mx/inm/acciones-y-programas/programa-de-repatriacion-12469.
Sachetti, M. (2017, April 16). ICE immigration arrests of noncriminals double under Trump. The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration-arrests-of-noncriminals-double-under-trump/2017/04/16/98a2f1e2-2096-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html?utm_term=.8a56afbcf483.
