Report on the Socio-Economic and Developmental Impacts of the Deportation of a Specialized Childcare Provider

Case Study: Nicolle Orozco Forero and Family

This report analyzes the detention and subsequent deportation of Nicolle Orozco Forero and her family, examining the event’s direct and indirect consequences on several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case highlights the critical intersection of immigration policy, the care economy, and community well-being.

• Subject: Nicolle Orozco Forero, a Colombian asylum seeker and specialized childcare provider.
• Event: Detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 18 and deported to Colombia on July 10.
• Context: The family fled persecution in Colombia two years prior. Their asylum claim was denied after they were unable to retain legal counsel and represented themselves in court.

Impact Analysis in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The family’s deportation has critically undermined the health and well-being of their children, particularly their 7-year-old son, Juan David.

• Disruption of Critical Medical Care: Juan David was undergoing evaluation at Seattle Children’s Hospital for a serious, undiagnosed illness causing him to lose red blood cells and protein. His nephrologist issued a formal letter to ICE stating the medical necessity of his remaining in the United States for continued testing and treatment.
• Denial of Care in Detention: During nearly a month in an ICE detention facility, the child reportedly did not receive medical care for three weeks.
• Jeopardized Future Health: The deportation removes the child from his specialized care team, placing him at risk for severe health complications from his untreated condition.

SDG 4: Quality Education

The case represents a significant setback for quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for both Ms. Orozco Forero and the children she served.

1. Termination of Professional Development: Ms. Orozco Forero was actively pursuing higher education in early childhood education at Green River Community College and had completed an internship to open her own licensed daycare. Her deportation has halted this educational and professional advancement.
2. Disruption of Children’s Education: Her son, Juan David, was described by his teachers as an “exceptional student” who had made remarkable progress in his reading skills. His removal from the U.S. school system disrupts his educational trajectory.
3. Loss of Specialized Early Learning: As a provider skilled in caring for children with disabilities, including autism, her removal eliminates a vital educational resource for a highly vulnerable group of children in her community.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The removal of Ms. Orozco Forero illustrates the fragility of the care economy and its direct impact on broader economic stability.

• Loss of Economic Contribution: Ms. Orozco Forero was an active participant in the economy and on the verge of becoming a small business owner (“Big Dreams Day Care”). Immigrant women like her comprise 20% of the U.S. childcare workforce, filling a critical labor shortage.
• Negative Ripple Effect: Her detention directly impacted the employment of other families. One parent, a physician’s assistant, was forced to quit her job to care for her foster child with autism, as Orozco Forero was the only available provider. This resulted in a loss of healthcare services for 44 patients per day.
• Exacerbation of a Market Crisis: The U.S. Treasury Department has called the childcare system “a textbook example of a broken market.” The detention of qualified providers, especially those serving children with special needs, deepens this crisis and undermines efforts to build a stable care infrastructure that supports a productive workforce.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities & SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The family’s experience highlights systemic failures in providing justice and ensuring equality for vulnerable populations.

• Inequality in Legal Access: The family’s inability to afford legal representation for their asylum hearing was a primary factor in their case’s denial, demonstrating a lack of equal access to justice within the immigration system.
• Impact on Children with Disabilities: The loss of Ms. Orozco Forero’s services disproportionately affects families of children with disabilities, who already face significant barriers and inequality in accessing childcare.
• Erosion of Community Stability: The deportation of a family described by community members, employers, and educators as a community “asset” demonstrates a conflict between enforcement actions and the goal of fostering safe, inclusive, and resilient communities.

Conclusion: A Net Loss for Community and Development Goals

The deportation of the Orozco Forero family has resulted in demonstrable harm to public health, education, and local economic stability. The case serves as a clear example of how immigration enforcement actions can directly contravene the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals. The removal of an individual who provided essential care for children with disabilities, pursued education, and enabled other professionals to remain in the workforce represents a significant loss of social and economic capital for her community. The family, described as “dependable, ethical, and hard-working,” was an asset whose forced departure has weakened the very community support systems the SDGs aim to strengthen.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses several interconnected issues that are relevant to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is addressed through the story of Juan David, a young boy with a serious, undiagnosed illness requiring specialized medical care, which is disrupted by his family’s detention and deportation.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The article focuses heavily on early childhood education and care, the shortage of qualified providers, and the importance of access, especially for children with disabilities. It also touches on vocational training for adults.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This goal is relevant as the article highlights the crucial role of women, particularly immigrant women, in the child care sector, a form of care work that is essential for the economy but often undervalued.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The narrative explores the child care staffing crisis, the economic contributions of immigrant workers, and the ripple effects of unavailable child care on the employment of other parents.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core of the article revolves around the inequalities faced by a migrant family based on their origin and legal status, affecting their access to justice, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: This is connected to the family’s reason for fleeing their home country (gang persecution) and their experiences with the U.S. legal and immigration system, including lack of legal representation and detention.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services…
   • Explanation: The article details the case of 7-year-old Juan David, who is “seeking treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital for an illness that is turning his urine muddy.” His nephrologist wrote to ICE stating, “it is essential that Juan remain in the United States for continued testing and treatment.” The family’s deportation directly cuts off this access to essential healthcare, as they have “no way to obtain care for him” in Colombia, demonstrating a failure to ensure continued access to quality health services for a vulnerable child.
2. Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education…
   • Explanation: The article’s central theme is the crisis in child care, described as a “textbook example of a broken market.” It highlights the severe shortage of care, which is “far worse for children with disabilities.” Nicolle Orozco Forero’s work and her plan to open “Big Dreams Day Care” directly relate to providing this essential service. The fact that her detention leaves families in a “free fall” underscores the fragility of access to early childhood care.
3. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities…
   • Explanation: The article points to a “staffing shortage in child care” and notes that “Immigrant women like Orozco Forero have been helping to fill that void,” making up “20% of all child care workers.” Nicolle was not only employed but was also an aspiring entrepreneur. Her detention not only ended her employment but also caused another parent, Sarah Kasnick, to “quit her job as a physician’s assistant to care for the child,” illustrating how the lack of child care providers prevents full and productive employment for others.
4. Target 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
   • Explanation: The family’s experience highlights challenges within migration policies. They fled persecution in Colombia but lost their asylum case after their lawyer “pulled out.” Their subsequent detention and deportation, despite having complied with ICE check-ins and having deep community ties, points to policies that the article portrays as disruptive and not well-managed, especially in cases involving humanitarian concerns like a child’s critical illness.
5. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • Explanation: The family’s struggle with the legal system is a clear example of unequal access to justice. The article states that when “they couldn’t pay his full fee ahead of their hearing, he [the lawyer] pulled out. They represented themselves in court and lost the case.” Furthermore, “they didn’t know they had 30 days to appeal the ruling,” demonstrating how a lack of legal knowledge and resources can lead to devastating outcomes within the justice system.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article contains several pieces of information, both quantitative and qualitative, that can serve as indicators for measuring progress.

1. Indicator for Target 4.2 (Access to Early Childhood Education):
   • Evidence from Article: The article states that “about a third of those families [with children with disabilities] say they face significant difficulty finding care for their kids.” It also describes the impact of losing one provider: a foster parent, Sarah Kasnick, had to quit her job because Nicolle was “the only provider who would take the child, who has autism and is nonverbal.” This qualitative evidence indicates a severe lack of accessible, inclusive child care.
2. Indicator for Target 8.5 (Full and Productive Employment):
   • Evidence from Article: A specific statistic is provided: “Immigrant women… now make up 20% of all child care workers.” This number serves as a direct indicator of the reliance on migrant labor in this sector. The statement that the child care system is in “deep crisis” and is a “broken market” implies high vacancy rates and a failure to meet labor demands, affecting overall economic productivity.
3. Indicator for Target 10.7 (Migration Policies):
   • Evidence from Article: The article provides statistics on immigration enforcement actions: “President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort has led to the detention of about 30,000 migrants with no criminal record.” It adds that this group now makes up “about half of those detained.” These figures are direct indicators of the nature and scale of current migration policy implementation.
4. Indicator for Target 3.8 (Access to Healthcare):
   • Evidence from Article: While not a statistic, the letter from the nephrologist stating it is “essential that Juan remain in the United States for continued testing and treatment” serves as a professional assessment of medical necessity. The outcome—deportation to a country where they have “no way to obtain care for him”—is a clear, albeit qualitative, indicator of a failure to provide access to essential health services for this individual.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: chalkbeat.org