An Ethnography of Deportee Resettlement

Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

Investigators

Abstract

Each year, hundreds of thousands of migrants in the U.S. are deported to their countries of origin as a consequence of criminal violations. What happens when these migrants return to their native countries? Many criminal deportees, having been raised in the U.S., are unfamiliar with their homeland's language, history, and social customs. Furthermore, criminal deportees can face the prejudices of fellow citizens who suspect them of bringing crime and delinquent behavior into the country. These factors can present challenges as deportees attempt to resettle after deportation. Yet at the same time, deportees have often learned English, attended school, and learned marketable skills during their time in the U.S., which can lead to employment and status in their countries of origin. With a pending rise in criminal deportations, it is essential to identify the opportunities and obstacles encountered by deportees, and the services and resources that would assist their resettlement. Dr. Kivland of Dartmouth College and her team will conduct a longitudinal ethnography of deportation, following the a cohort of deportees over the first three years of the resettlement process. Findings will be disseminated to organizations and individuals that influence policy debates related to migration. The project also broadens participation of underrepresented groups in science, and provides opportunities for training undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields. The project builds capacity and infrastructure through the broadening of international scientific cooperation. The research will be conducted in Haiti, where Dr. Kivland has conducted research since 2006 and has extensive knowledge of political and social conditions. Haiti is a is an ideal research site because it has recently witnessed a dramatic rise in its deportee population. In 2016, it received 310 deportees; in 2017, this number rose to 5,578 deportees. Haiti is also an important research setting because it provides an opportunity to study a racial subgroup rarely analyzed in deportation studies. Whereas several studies have analyzed the criminalization and stigmatization that Latino deportees face in Latin American countries, there has been less research on the experiences of Afro-descendant deportees in the Caribbean. This study hypothesizes that Haitian deportees' experiences are particularly shaped by their Black racial identity. Preliminary research suggests that Haitian deportees may confront the prejudices of fellow Haitians who suspect them of violence, crime, and what it perceived as a disreputable African American culture. But they may also capitalize on their racial identity and American cultural capital to find employment, status, and community in Haiti. Working with a team of Haiti-based graduate students and U.S.-based undergraduate students, Dr. Kivland will chronicle the everyday successes and challenges that deportees face in their attempts to rebuild lives in Haiti. Using the ethnographic methods of observation, participant observation, and interviews, the team will analyze how deportees' racial identity, deportee status, migration history, and other emergent factors shape their resettlement trajectories in positive and negative ways. Findings from this research will lead to a fuller understanding of the societal factors and personal circumstances that lead to deportation, the difficulties and prospects people face once deported, and the resources that would assist deportees in the resettlement process. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.