Deportation, the expulsion by a state of a foreign national from its sovereign territory, has all sorts of implications for those on the receiving end of such an order. You can be deported for simply not having the required travel documentation at hand. But you can also be removed for violating immigration laws or having a criminal conviction. More widely, the effects of deportation and forced separation on immigrants, their families, and communities can be devastating. The psychosocial consequences alone are often profound, with deportations having a long-lasting and sometimes permanent impact on physical and mental health.
Presently, the discussion surrounding deportation is a hugely controversial and divisive topic in the United States. In some cases, individuals have been deported from the US illegally, which only fuels the debate about who should be deported and why. So, what exactly does being deported mean?
For more context and a brief history of deportation through the ages, click through this gallery.