Transnational migration strengthens, shifts, and at times disintegrates kinship ties--yet as evidenced in relatively sparse nature of this gallery, young migrants are rarely portrayed as enmeshed in meaningful family systems. More often, youth are presented with their peers or alone (see “Unattached”).
As Deborah Boehm (2008) argues, it is critical to recognize the changing character of these relationships against a backdrop of state power. Children, whether unaccompanied or within mixed-status families, feel the profound impact of the law and state policies in their private and public lives. The heavy hand of the state enters into everyday life, shaping family integrity, custody arrangements, educational opportunities, occupational choices, access to public benefits for qualified family members, and involvement in the child welfare system. The contradictory values and practices enshrined in state structures that aim to unify families, whether immigration law, family courts, or ORR sponsorship practices, demonstrate how the state can construct, (re)produce, and divide families.
