http://colorlines.com/article.php?ID=625

Introduction: Torn Apart

By Julianne Ong Hing


From New York to Jamaica, families struggle to stay together.
This story is part of "Torn Apart by Deportation," a series investigating the impacts of deportation on families of color.

October 22, 2009


Before he was president, Barack Obama promised an overhaul of the immigration system in his term’s first year. When other national fights pushed immigration reform to the back burner, it didn’t stop the Obama administration from fine-tuning its agenda on the sidelines.

Workplace raids were scrapped, but neighborhood sweeps have been stepped up. Partnerships between local law enforcement and ICE were renewed. These days, Obama refers to people without papers as “illegal.â€