Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023;34(2):798-809.
doi: 10.1353/hpu.2023.0041.

Immigration Enforcement Climate in Georgia and the Mental Health of Latinx Immigrants

Danielle M Crookes, Emily D Lemon, Mayra Sainz, Liliana Del Carmen Chacón, Belisa M Urbina, Briana Woods-Jaeger

Immigration Enforcement Climate in Georgia and the Mental Health of Latinx Immigrants

Danielle M Crookes et al. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: Immigrant-related social policies and immigration enforcement contribute to a sociopolitical environment that affects immigrants' health. This exploratory study in six metro-Atlanta counties examined associations among immigrants' perceived vulnerability to harmful immigrant-related social policies and county-level 287(g) agreements (which facilitate cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities), county-level immigration enforcement levels (arrests, community arrests, detainers, and removals), and immigrants' mental health.

Methods: Using data from a 2020 study among Latinx parents who were undocumented or members of mixed-status families (N = 140), we merged data on individuals' perceived policy vulnerability and depressive and anxiety symptoms with county 287(g) status and immigration enforcement levels.

Results: Perceived policy vulnerability was not associated with county-level 287(g) status or immigration enforcement levels. Greater policy vulnerability and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests were associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms, but 287(g) status was associated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Conclusion: Perceived policy vulnerability, 287(g) status, and immigration enforcement levels do not always align and can have different associations with mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Young ME, Wallace SP. Included, but deportable: a new public health approach to policies that criminalize and integrate immigrants. Am J Public Health. 2019. Sep 1;109(9):1171–6. 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305171 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Perreira KM, Pedroza JM. Policies of exclusion: implications for the health of immigrants and their children. Annu Rev Public Health. 2019. Apr 1;40:147–66. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044115 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Crookes DM, Stanhope KK, Kim Y, et al. Federal, state, and local immigrant-related policies and child health outcomes: a systematic review. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021;9(2):478–88. 10.1007/s40615-021-00978-w - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Crookes DM, Stanhope KK, Suglia SF. A systematic review of immigrant-related policies and the health outcomes of Latino adults in the United States. Epidemiology. 2022. Jul 1;33(4):593–605. 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001480 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wallace SP, Young M-EDT, Rodríguez MA, et al. A social determinants framework identifying state-level immigrant policies and their influence on health. SSM-Popul Health. 2018. Nov 2;7:16. 10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.10.016 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources