Immigration raids occurring in the late spring and summer of 2018, highlighted the aggressive intent of the current administration to deport undocumented immigrants living within the U.S. What was also made clear was the lack of attention to the collateral consequences impacting affected families, family separation.

Fallout over the handling of the separation of families, during the same time frame at the U.S/Mexico border, created actions traumatic to children, failing to ensure a clear plan towards family reunification. This failure by the federal government is also potentially replicable at the state level. Child Welfare agencies in Florida, and throughout the U.S., do not have a plan to handle family separation as a result of parental detention or deportation. These separations, denoted by foster care and child welfare reports as abandonment, reflect a lack of insight and commitment to the mandate to fulfill Florida’s DCF Mission “…to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency” (“Mission, Vision, and Values”, n.d.).

“Family Separation in the Sunshine State” intends to increase focus on the immense repercussions of federal policy and the urgent need to develop protocols and policies that will address the traumatic impact and economic cost that Florida will need to assume.