“Why are we put in prison?”– Independent Guatemalan minor migrants’ experiences of transnational childhoods

Abstract

Given that state migration and deportation regimes deeply influence transnationally lived childhoods and youth, this article draws on findings from three months of ethnographic research carried out at a Guatemalan state shelter for deported migrant minors in 2009. During the research, I conducted participant observation as well as semi-structured in-depth interviews with 28 adolescents, aged 14–18. Drawings were further used as a child-centered research method. This contribution aims to demonstrate how independent child migrants perceive the special protection measures they receive in the scope of state assistance as sanctioning and blaming of their agency. Against this background, ambiguous approaches are identified in the case of US, Mexican, and Guatemalan state interventions concerning repatriated minors. Hence, I call for further child-centered qualitative research and the prioritization of child migrants’ perspectives in state policies for these young actors.