Keywords
psychological impact
mental health
How to Cite
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the psychological impact of the deportation process on Mexican immigrants. This study used a phenomenological approach to analyze interviews with 10 individuals who were deported from the United States. Data analysis revealed the presence of three main categories: Deportation Trauma, Starting Over, and Emotional Scars. The first main category, The Trauma of Deportation, was divided into two sub-categories: Fear of the unknown and Feeling vulnerable. The second main category, Starting Over, was divided into three sub-categories: Feeling like a failure, Adjusting to a new life, and Unrealized dreams. The last main category, Emotional Scars, was divided into two sub-categories: Depression and Sadness. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also presented.
References
Achotegui, J. (2009). Migración y salud mental: El síndrome del inmigrante con estrés crónico y múltiple (síndrome de Ulises). Revista Zerbitzuan, 46, 163-171.
Aguirre, A., & Simmers, J. (2008). Mexican border crossers: The Mexican body in immigration discourse. Social Justice, 35(4), 99-106.
Alvarado, R. (2008). Salud mental en inmigrantes. Revista Chilena de Salud Pública, 12(1), 37-41.
American Psychological Association, Presidential Task Force on Immigration. (2012). Crossroads: The psychology of immigration in the new century. Washington, DC: Author.
Aranda, E., & Vaquera, E. (2011). Unwelcomed immigrants: Experiences with immigration officials and attachment to the United States. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 27(3), 299-321.
Asakura, H., & Torres Falcón, M. (2013). Migración femenina centroamericana y violencia de género: Pesadilla sin límites en Zona Franca. Revista del Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinario sobre Mujeres, 21(22), 75-86.
Bojórquez, I., Aguilera, R. M., Ramírez, J., Cerecero, D., & Mejía, S. (2015). Common mental disorders at the time of deportation: A survey at the Mexico-United States border. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(6), 1732–1738.
Brabeck, K. M., Lykes, M. B., & Hunter, C. (2014). The psychosocial impact of detention and deportation on U.S. migrant children and families. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(5), 496-505.
Brotherton, D.C., & Barrios, L. (2011). Banished to the homeland: Dominican deportees and their stories of exile. Columbia University Press.
Casas, M. (2014). Caution: Immigration can be harmful to your mental health. Latino/a Psychology Today, 10(1), 6-9.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & Research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Dreby, J. (2012). The burden of deportation on children in Mexican immigrant families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(4), 829-845.
Drotbohm, H., & Hasselberg, I. (2015). Introduction to deportation, anxiety, and justice: New ethnographic perspectives. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(4), 551-562.
Hagan, J.M., Castro, B., & Rodríguez, N. (2010). The effects of U.S. deportation policies on immigrant families and communities: Cross-border perspectives. Globalization, Families, and the State, 88(5), 1799-1824.
Hernández, J. (2010). Contemporary deportation raids and historical memory: Mexican expulsions in the nineteenth century. Journal of Chicano Studies, 35(2), 115-142.
Hipólito-Delgado, C., & Mann, J. (2012). Illuminating the shadows: Sociopolitical and counseling needs of undocumented Mexican immigrants. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 395-402.
Kanstroom, D. (2012). Aftermath: Deportation law and the new American diaspora. Oxford University Press.
Kirmayer, L. J., Narasiah, L., Muñoz, M., Rashid, M., Ryder, A. G., Guzder, J., Hassan, G., Rousseau, C., & Pottie, K. (2011). Common mental health problems in immigrants and refugees: General approach in primary care. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 183(2), 959-967.
López, A. (2012). Adjustment to spousal deportation: Exploring the experiences of Mexican immigrant women [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at San Antonio]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 257. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1095103013?accountid=12810. (1095103013).
Menjívar, C., & Abrego, L. J. (2012). Legal violence: Immigration law and the lives of Central American immigrants. American Journal of Sociology, 115(5), 1380-1421.
Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Torres, H. L., O’Conor, A., Mejía, C., Camacho, Y., & Long, A. (2011). The American dream: Racism towards Latino/as in the U.S. and the experience of trauma symptoms. Revista Interamericana de Psicología/Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 363-368.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2017). Executive orders on protecting the homeland. https://www.dhs.gov/executive-orders-protecting-homeland
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2017). Fiscal year 2017 ICE enforcement and removal operations report. https://www.ice.gov/removal-statistics/2017#tab0
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2020 Anna L Lopez, Ivelisse Torres Fernandez, Jessica Rodriguez-Herrera, Jesus Cisneros, Juventino Vazquez-Castro