Deferred depression? Mediation analysis of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and immigration enforcement among Undocumented Asian and Pacific Islander students

The Health Status of Undocumented Immigrants from Asian Countries in the United States: A Scoping Review and Recommendations for Future Directions

Immigrants from Asian countries are the fastest-growing undocumented population in the United States (U.S.), yet not much is known about their health. This scoping review identifies the nature and extent of scientific literature on the health of undocumented Asian immigrants in the U.S. We conducted a comprehensive search of six electronic databases in 2024. Inclusion criteria were empirical articles written in English, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2010 to 2024, and focused on a health outcome or health-related issue involving undocumented Asian immigrants. Results are summarized narratively. We identified 13 peer-reviewed publications. Nine studies were quantitative, and four were qualitative. Eight studies were conducted in California; two studies used national secondary data sources. Studies were mixed in their research focus. They covered a range of health outcomes and issues, such as mental health (n = 4), health services and access (n = 2), contraceptive use (n = 1), COVID-19 (n = 2), and HIV (n = 1). Three studies measured self-rated health alongside other conditions, such as disability, health insurance coverage, chronic health conditions, and obesity. Scholarship on the health of undocumented Asian immigrants is a growing research area. Given the small number of studies identified, future research with larger diverse samples, more robust methodology, and greater topical variety are warranted to understand the health of this population better and reduce potential inequities.

The Psychological Health Symptoms of DACA Recipients: A Systematic Review at the Ten-Year Mark of the Program

The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the mental health symptoms endorsed by DACA recipients. This study included qualitative and quantitative original, peer-reviewed articles related to mental health or psychological state or wellbeing of DACA recipients. Articles were abstracted from PsychInfo, PubMed, and GoogleScholar. The results included a total of fifteen articles, which were divided into qualitative and quantitative findings. The qualitative articles had a common theme of endorsement of depressive symptoms and negative affect associated to changes in familial and financial responsibilities and living in a difficult sociopolitical climate in the United States. The quantitative articles identified lower odds or symptom severity of depression and other internalizing symptoms compared to undocumented individuals. This summary review was limited by the ample exclusion of access to health care studies among DACamented individuals, which could have provided a broader picture about the health and accessibility for DACA recipients. Despite the limitations, this review identifies DACA as a policy that allows this group to improve their social function and quality of life compared to undocumented individuals but still endorse high levels of negative affect related to perceived challenging sociopolitical atmospheres.

Cumulative Experiences of Immigration Enforcement Policy and the Physical and Mental Health Outcomes of Asian and Latinx Immigrants in the United States

Immigration enforcement policies in the United States and other nations have long been enacted and implemented as intentional tools of racial control. There is mounting evidence that immigration raids, arrests, and deportations in the United States are associated with poor immigrant health outcomes, but this research has primarily focused on associations between health and single, specific enforcement actions or experiences that may not capture the entirety of immigrants’ experiences with racialized exclusion. Further, there has been little examination of Asian immigrants’ experiences with enforcement in the United States. This article assesses the relationship between Asian and Latinx immigrants’ physical and mental health and their cumulative experiences of immigration enforcement. We analyze responses to a 2018 population-based telephone survey of 1,103 Asian and Latin American immigrants in California. Participants were asked about seven distinct exclusionary immigration and local law enforcement experiences and their self-rated health (SRH) and psychological distress. We tested the association between each enforcement experience and SRH and psychological distress, controlling for covariates. After creating a cumulative measure of exclusion by summing participants’ total number of enforcement experiences, we examined the association between cumulative enforcement experiences and SRH and psychological distress and tested interactions by ethnicity and citizenship. While a greater proportion of Latinx than Asian participants reported enforcement experiences, each additional enforcement experience was associated with poorer self-rated health and greater psychological distress for both groups. This article suggests that the overall immigration enforcement system, from surveillance to deportation, is associated with worse health outcomes for immigrants.

Association between immigration enforcement encounters and COVID-19 testing and delays in care: a cross-sectional study of undocumented young adult immigrants in california

BACKGROUND

Undocumented immigrants are expected to face increased risks related to COVID-19 due to marginalizing restrictive immigration policies. However, few studies have assessed the prevalence of direct encounters with the immigration enforcement system among the undocumented and its impacts on their COVID-related health behaviors and outcomes. In this study, we quantify undocumented immigrants' lifetime exposure to various immigration enforcement tactics and their association with delays in COVID-19 testing and healthcare behaviors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included a non-random sample of 326 Asian and Latinx undocumented immigrants in California from September 2020 to February 2021. The primary exposure was immigration enforcement encounter scores ranging from 0-9, assessed through self-reports of direct experiences with the immigration system, immigration officials, and law enforcement. The main outcomes were positive test for COVID-19, had or suspected having COVID-19, and delayed or avoided testing and/or treatment for COVID-19 due to immigration status. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association between the primary exposure and outcomes of interest.

RESULTS

Among 326 participants, 7% had received a positive COVID-19 test result, while 43% reported having or suspected having COVID-19. Almost 13% delayed or avoided COVID-19 testing and/or treatment because of their immigration status. Overall, an increase in immigration enforcement encounters was associated with higher odds of suspecting having had COVID-19 (aOR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01,1.26). Reporting an additional enforcement encounter was associated with higher odds of delaying or avoiding testing and/or treatment because of immigration status (aOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.26,1.86). Compared to their Latino counterparts, Asian respondents were more likely to report higher odds of delaying or avoiding testing and/or treatment (aOR = 3.13, 95% CI: 1.17,8.42). There were no significant associations between the enforcement score and testing positive for COVID-19. Additionally, while Latinxs were more likely to report immigration enforcement encounters than Asians, there were no differences in the effects of race on COVID-19 testing and healthcare behaviors in models with race as an interaction term (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Immigration enforcement encounters compound barriers to COVID-19 testing and treatment for undocumented immigrants.