In this photograph, a teenage boy (Bryan) cries as he stands behind a partition in a security line at the airport. He is wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and carrying a backpack. A middle-aged woman (his teacher) reaches over the barrier to grip his arm and wipe away his tears. She is wearing a gray t-shirt, dark jeans, and sandals. Bryan rests his hand on her side. The airport security partition includes text that reads 'PURE MICHIGAN.'

Deported: An American Division

  • Rachel Woolf
ArtistRachel Woolf
Year2017
MediumDigital photograph
CreditCopyright Rachel Woolf

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, USA. Bryan (13) cries as his former teacher, Jennifer Walsh, wipes tears from his face before he enters the security line with his family to travel to Mexico. Following the deportation of their mother, Bryan and his older sister Lulys (16) are joining her in Mexico to keep the family together.