A father’s deportation case wrecked a son’s SAT performance and college plans

Evidence

Rami’s mother began working outside the home to earn money for her family. With their finances still squeezed, Rami had to consider plans for his future based on this reality. He took the SATs—which he easily should have aced, setting him up for an Ivy League education—but he scored lower than expected. The reason wasn’t hard to fathom: All the tumult with his father had taken its toll on his concentration. Yet still he scored high enough to win a partial scholarship to a local private university. … Everyone knew the caveats. If his father was released, Rami could carry on with his studies and eventually apply to medical school, but if he was deported, contingencies would have to be made, other paths blazed. These included moving Rami to California to join his uncles in their car business or, if the financial burden became too heavy before then, even leaving school early. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 852

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader literature on how parental incarceration/deportation disrupts children’s educational outcomes.