Evaluating the Impact of Immigration Policies on Health Status Among Undocumented Immigrants: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Over the past two decades, new anti-immigration policies and laws have emerged to address the migration of undocumented immigrants. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to assess and understand how these immigration policies and laws may affect both access to health services and health outcomes among undocumented immigrants. Eight databases were used to conduct this review, which returned 325 papers that were assessed for validity based on specified inclusion criteria. Forty critically appraised articles were selected for analysis; thirty articles related to access to health services, and ten related to health outcomes. The articles showed a direct relationship between anti-immigration policies and their effects on access to health services. In addition, as a result of these policies, undocumented immigrants were impacted by mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Action items were presented, including the promotion of cultural diversity training and the development of innovative strategies to support safety-net health care facilities serving vulnerable populations.

Documentation Status as a Contextual Determinant of HIV Risk Among Young Transgender Latinas

“…While certain services are available to undocumented immigrants, such as public education and emergency medical care, asylum protects them from deportation, making social spaces they might have once avoided more accessible. While the finding that lack of documentation status acts a barrier to healthcare is represented in other literature with immigrant Latinos, 33,45 ours is the first study that we know of to report the positive effects of legal asylum. Our study thus answers the call for research focused on protective factors to mitigate determinants of HIV risk for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) populations, rather than exclusively focusing on factors that accentuate vulnerability.…”

“…31 The stress generated by a combination of documentation status, racial and gender discrimination, and barriers to social services likely adversely affects mental health and HIV risk for undocumented Latino/a sexual minorities, although the exact causal relationships remain unclear. [32][33][34] Conversely, the security provided by having legal documentation to live and work in the United States may have positive effects on mental health and HIV risk for this group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore these associations among transgender immigrant Latinas.…”

Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health

“…Recent studies have begun to examine the interaction between deportation and well-being, for example on mental health (2), drug use (116), and HIV risk (92). A recent systematic review of the health impact of immigration policies found that the majority of policies focused on the impact on access to health care rather than on specific health outcomes (82). In addition, research is needed into specific labor and education policies: for example, states adopting explicit rights for farmworker organizing (142), adopting equal minimum wages for restaurant workers and other workers, changing identification card or driver's license eligibility, and implementing policies for educational access for immigrant children.…”

Research and Engagement Strategies for Young Adult Immigrants Without Documentation: Lessons Learned Through Community Partnership

“…Although prior research, including our findings from these focus groups, suggest that undocumented populations are hesitant to disclose their status to government agencies and health care providers owing to fear of deportation, 15,16,23,24,29 participants in this study expressed enthusiasm about engage- CBOs. They emphasized building on their close-knit social networks and using participant-driven recruitment.…”