The Impact of Deportation

Resource for Grades 6-12

WGBH: Frontline
The Impact of Deportation

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 3m 14s
Size: 12.0 MB

or


Source: FRONTLINE: "Lost in Detention"

This media asset was adapted from FRONTLINE: "Lost in Detention."

Resource Produced by:

WGBH Educational Foundation

Collection Developed by:

WGBH Educational Foundation

Collection Credits

Collection Funded by:

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and by Reva and David Logan. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation and by the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund.


The struggles of a family facing an uncertain future after their mother is deported to Mexico is profiled in this video excerpt from FRONTLINE: "Lost in Detention." Undocumented immigrant Antonio Arceo, his wife Roxanna, and their five American-born children live in Illinois. When Roxana is deported after a routine traffic stop, Antonio is left with the task of working and caring for the children on his own. In addition to his physical struggles caring for the children, he feels emotional stress and considers moving the family back to Mexico. However, interviews with the children show their concern about leaving their country for a place they have never seen.

open Teaching Tips

Here are suggested ways to engage students with this video and with activities related to this topic.

  • Viewing the video: Use the following suggestions to guide students' viewing of the video.
    • Before: Ask students what pictures form in their minds when they hear the phrase "undocumented" person. Where do they think they got these images? For example, did they hear it from television, read it online, or discuss it with family or friends, or have they met someone who was "undocumented?”
    • During: How has life changed for the family in the video since the mother was deported? What have been the challenges? How have the father and the children coped?
    • After: The video suggests that the "typical undocumented person" no longer looks the way most Americans picture him or her. What do the data tell us? Why this discrepancy? If the general public knew the "statistics" of undocumented people, do you think the policy of deportation might be changed? Why or why not?
  • Connecting to subject areas: Discuss with students the immigration policies of different eras in United States history, including the present day. You can provide the information or have students research their textbook or other sources in small groups then report back to the larger group. If possible, incorporate historical data on undocumented people. Have students discuss how immigration policies have changed over the years and how this may affect the situations of people coming into the U.S. without documentation.
  • Doing a classroom activity: Provide students with current data about undocumented immigrants in the United States. You can research your own data online or go to Urban Institute. Break students into small groups and assign a different portion of the data for them to interpret. Then, bring the groups together to share what they have learned with the whole group. Finally, ask students to reflect on how this data may or may not connect with what they learned from the personal stories they saw in the video.

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