Although the circumstances of each family affected by deportation or forced separation are different, many U.S.-born children face the same painful question: “Why is this happening, if this is our home?”

​

Some children leave the United States with a deported parent in order to keep their family together. Others remain in the U.S. after a parent is deported, living with relatives, neighbors, family friends, or other caregivers while trying to continue school, stay safe, and make sense of what is happening.

​

These children and caregivers face urgent practical challenges. When a parent is deported or a family is forced apart, the financial and emotional impact is often immediate and severe. Children suddenly lose not just stable housing, but also the ability to plan for or access food, rent, medical needs, school costs, transportation, community continuity, and other basic needs. The disruption can affect not only where they live, but also their education, work, ability to make safe choices, and future independence.

​

The policies and legal barriers behind these situations are far too complex for a child to fully understand. But the need is clear: children need safety, family connection, stable care, education, and the life skills to move forward.

For these families, the system did not bend toward the American dream that is the birthright of their U.S.-born children. Instead, it fractured their sense of home and forced painful choices between legal rights, family unity, and basic security. Though citizens by birth, these children may be forced to leave behind the only country they know, or they may remain in the United States without the daily care and protection of a parent.

​

DAAF supports U.S.-born children, youth, and families from California who have been affected by deportation-related displacement and separation. Through free education support, life skills training, financial empowerment, career readiness, and repatriation planning, DAAF helps participants build the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to stabilize their lives, continue their education, make informed financial decisions, and prepare for a secure future in their communities.