移民和海关执法局对移民健康的影响:美国马萨诸塞州埃弗里特移民的看法。
The impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigrant health: perceptions of immigrants in Everett, Massachusetts, USA.
机构信息
Institute for Community Health, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, 163 Gore Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, United States.
Institute for Community Health, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, 163 Gore Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, United States.
出版信息
Soc Sci Med. 2011 Aug;73(4):586-594. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.06.007. Epub 2011 Jun 30.
U.S. immigrants have faced a changing landscape with regard to immigration enforcement over the last two decades. Following the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, and the creation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after the attacks of September 11, 2001, detention and deportation activity increased substantially. As a result, immigrants today are experiencing heightened fear of profiling and deportation. Little research exists on how these activities affect the health and well-being of U.S. immigrant communities. This study sought to address this gap by using community-based participatory research to investigate the impact of enhanced immigration enforcement on immigrant health in Everett, Massachusetts, USA, a city with a large and diverse immigrant population. Community partners and researchers conducted 6 focus groups with 52 immigrant participants (documented and undocumented) in five languages in May 2009. The major themes across the groups included: 1) Fear of deportation, 2) Fear of collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE and perception of arbitrariness on the part of the former and 3) Concerns about not being able to furnish documentation required to apply for insurance and for health care. Documented and undocumented immigrants reported high levels of stress due to deportation fear, which affected their emotional well-being and their access to health services. Recommendations from the focus groups included improving relationships between immigrants and local police, educating immigrants on their rights and responsibilities as residents, and holding sessions to improve civic engagement. Immigration enforcement activities and the resulting deportation fear are contextual factors that undermine trust in community institutions and social capital, with implications for health and effective integration processes. These factors should be considered by any community seeking to improve the integration process.
在过去的二十年中,美国移民在移民执法方面面临着不断变化的局面。随着 1996 年《非法移民改革和移民责任法案》的通过,以及 2001 年 9 月 11 日袭击事件后移民和海关执法局(ICE)的成立,拘留和驱逐活动大幅增加。因此,移民现在更加担心被定性和被驱逐。关于这些活动如何影响美国移民社区的健康和福祉,研究甚少。本研究旨在通过使用基于社区的参与式研究来解决这一空白,以调查美国马萨诸塞州埃弗里特市(该市拥有大量和多样化的移民人口)加强移民执法对移民健康的影响。社区合作伙伴和研究人员于 2009 年 5 月用五种语言对 52 名移民参与者(有文件记录和无文件记录)进行了 6 次焦点小组讨论。跨组的主要主题包括:1)对被驱逐的恐惧,2)对当地执法部门与 ICE 之间合作的恐惧以及对前者任意性的看法,3)担心无法提供申请保险和医疗保健所需的文件。有文件记录和无文件记录的移民因被驱逐的恐惧而报告了高水平的压力,这影响了他们的情绪健康和获得医疗服务的机会。焦点小组的建议包括改善移民与当地警察之间的关系,教育移民作为居民的权利和责任,以及举办改善公民参与的会议。移民执法活动和由此产生的驱逐恐惧是破坏对社区机构和社会资本的信任的背景因素,对健康和有效融入过程有影响。任何寻求改善融入过程的社区都应考虑这些因素。