Why A Father Fears His Son’s Mental Illness Could Lead to Deportation

When José moved his family to the U.S. from Mexico nearly two decades ago, he had hopes of giving his children a better life

But now he worries about the future of his 21-year-old-son, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder last year.

José says his son was a happy child who loved playing with friends. But in recent years, there was a stark change—his son started acting aggressively, talked about hearing voices and struggled with suicidal thoughts.
José and his son live in Illinois. They are undocumented, so he asked to be identfied only by his middle name. Through an interpreter, José recalled, “He asked us for help, but we didn’t know how to help him. He’d say, ‘Dad, I feel like I’m going crazy.’”

Last year, his son was hospitalized twice and started getting into trouble with the law. Now, José worries his son’s mental illness could lead to deportation.

Read the full story here.