The Health of Undocumented Latinx Immigrants: What We Know and Future Directions

Abstract

Undocumented Latinx immigrants experience unique factors prior to migration, during migration, and after migration that shape their health. Our review summarizes the limited but growing literature highlighting how exposure to trauma, immigration enforcement, changes to social networks, and discrimination negatively affect the mental and physical health of undocumented Latinx immigrants. We also discuss how policies and social ties can promote their health. We focus on areas of particular concern, including health care, mental health, and HIV. Future research should use interdisciplinary approaches and intersectional frameworks to understand and address health inequities. Conducting research with undocumented Latinx immigrant communities requires community engagement, assurance of confidentiality, and creative recruitment and retention strategies. Recommendations for public health practice include investing in community health centers and organizations to ensure access to health and social services; presenting results with sufficient contextualization to interpret their generalizability; and advocating for federal-, state-, and local-level policy changes that reduce the negative health consequences associated with being undocumented.

Risk for COVID-19 infection and death among Latinos in the United States: examining heterogeneity in transmission dynamics

“…Historically, Latinos have experienced patterns of decreased access to health care because of lack of insurance, inadequate insurance coverage, and fear of deportation [31,32]. Furthermore, recent policies that have deterred immigrants from receiving federal safety net assistance may influence decisions to seek testing or care even when needed [33].…”

The Coronavirus Pandemic and Immigrant Communities: A Crisis That Demands More of the Social Work Profession

“…Under COVID-19, this emphasis on building a new future can lead to desperate attempts by workers to continue providing for their families at the expense of their own health. Undocumented immigrants, in particular, struggle under many additional layers of disadvantage such as severe poverty, lower levels of education, language barriers, lack of health care access, and higher levels of migration-related stress, making them more vulnerable to the virus (Ornelas et al, 2020). These conditions are compounded by the restrictions associated with their unauthorized status, forcing them to deal with chronic levels of stress arising from fears of deportation and family dissolution that often limit their willingness to seek out support and access social services.…”

“…However, millions of immigrants have continued working in fields, factories, grocery stores, janitorial services, and other “essential” workplaces. These workers, who have historically experienced damaging levels of discrimination and oppression, are suddenly considered essential by the government, as reflected in employer-provided letters stating the critical need for their labor throughout this pandemic (Jordan, 2020; Ornelas et al, 2020). In spite of this, U.S. policy, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, failed to mandate protective measures to safeguard immigrant workers’ health, illustrating indifference toward them (Chishti & Pierce, 2020).…”

Immigration Policy and Justice in the Era of COVID-19

“…Prior to COVID −19, a growing body of evidence was accumulating that immigrants are exposed to dangerously poor health conditions and services within ICE detention centers. Immigrant adults and children in detention centers experience detrimental physical and mental health outcomes, as do family units and households outside the immigration detention centers (Long 2018;Ornelas et al 2020). For example, detained immigrants have increased levels of musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurologic symptoms while being detained and also commonly experienced anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, difficulty with relationships, and self-harming behavior.…”

“…Immigration detention itself undermines family authority and ability to respond to their children's needs; this difficulty is complicated by parental mental health problems. In more extreme cases, immigrants' mortality and death have been associated with being detained (Long 2018;Ornelas et al 2020).…”