Caitlin Patler, a Center for Research on Social Change faculty affiliate, is co-editor of this special issue of The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. The issue conceptualizes deportation as a system that encompasses premigration, within-US, and post-deportation contexts and outcomes rather than a singular event that happens to an individual. It examines the differential paths into the deportation system that are dependent on migrants' access to paths to legal entry, which are shaped by political and economic factors. In their introduction, Patler and co-author Bradford Jones reviews the implications of the deportation system for individuals, families, and communities in the U.S. Finally, they review research on post-deportation outcomes in countries of origin and how deportation can lead to remigration to the U.S.
March 2, 2026