The family court system is an already complicated place. There are lots of disputes about where children should be living, which adults should be raising them, how much time certain people should spend around kids, where they should go to school, where they should attend church, and even whether or not they should be vaccinated. All these issues keep the family court busy on a regular day. However, with the changes in immigration policy that occurred earlier this year, the family court system has become even more stressed. There are questions about what will happen if the parents are deported, questions about what happens when children are legal citizens, but their parents are not, and even questions about where the child should live, even if they’ve never spent time in their home country.

When these questions come before a judge, they often will appoint a guardian ad litem, who is the designated voice of what is in the child’s best interest in court. The guardian ad litem will interview parents, talk to schools, meet the children, and ultimately make recommendations to the judge about what kind of custody or living arrangements might be in the child’s best interest. The judge can follow these recommendations or not, but it gives voice to the impact that the parents’ requests might have on a child’s life.

Kids’ Voice of Indiana is a nonprofit organization based in downtown Indianapolis that has several programs. According to Nicole Goodson, the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, “our biggest program is our GAL/CASA program, which provides best interest advocacy for youth and children. These cases include child neglect and abuse cases, as well as cases where custody is in dispute.” These cases have become even more complicated over the past few months, with concerns about deportation and ICE coming to the surface. The normally complicated family court system is seeing the impact of parents who have come to the United States illegally and are afraid to seek help from authorities for fear of ICE and deportation. A complication of politics is that sometimes the people in charge don’t think about how their decisions might impact everyday people, the ones living this struggle.

According to Goodson, politics heavily impact her line of work, and it’s very important that we talk about them. “First of all, the people who are elected to make our laws and lead our state have a lot of impact on families.  The governor, senators, and representatives all have ideas about what our state should be doing, and what the best way to support kids and families looks like, and so I have to respond to those ideas and help people understand what those ideas might mean or do.” She says that sometimes new laws are super helpful to her line of work, while others change the way cases operate or how to work with families. Judges hear everyone’s argument before making a decision about what they would like to do, and sometimes it’s easier to argue one case than another. With deportation and familial splits in the backs of everyone’s minds, it is hard sometimes to predict or say what the best course of action will be in a given case.

Immigration is much more complicated than it’s made out to be. Instead of being black and white, whether someone should be allowed in the country or not, it’s a long train that affects a multitude of people. Relatives, family, and friends who rely on these people in everyday life will also feel the effects of deportation, and even US citizens feel the blow. Uncertainty is hard to live with, and kids shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ll ever see their parents again when they leave for school everyday. Raising awareness about this topic and thinking about how seemingly small and unimportant decisions will affect a large group of people is an important reflection to have, and it’s a good start towards helping instead of hurting.

If you or any of your family members are concerned about how to plan for possible immigration issues, please visit: Home – Kids’ Voice Of Indiana or Family Safety Planning in Indiana – Kids’ Voice Of Indiana