Immigration Enforcement Episodes during Childhood and Wellbeing of Young Adults: A Mixed Method Study

Introduction: Rising levels of anti-immigrant enforcement increase challenges for children of immigrants due to their parents’ lack of legal status and limited options for jobs. Immigration enforcement can lead to the detention or deportation of parents or close family members, which likely impacts children’s sense of safety and well-being. Children whose parents were deported experienced higher emotional and behavioral problems than those whose parents were not. Little is known, however, about the long-term impact of experiences from immigration enforcement. This paper identifies what qualifies as severe immigration enforcement exposure in childhood and examines its lasting effects on emotional well-being.

Methods: This mixed-method study is based on in-depth interviews and survey data of 72 young adults, all U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents, with immigrant parents raised in New York. Interviews were conducted in person and ranged from 60 to 180 minutes. Interviews were unstructured but included information about parents’ immigration status, participants' educational experiences, and details of any family or community involvement with immigration enforcement officials or perceptions of risk. After the interview, they were invited to complete a short online survey, consisting of questions on demographic data, family contexts, social support, and mental health. We conceptualized severe immigration enforcement exposure as having an experience of witnessing a close family member being detained and/or deported. Next, we matched the severe exposure code with the survey data. The survey measure for anxiety was based on a cutoff score on General Anxiety Disorder 7. PHQ-9 was used to measure the risk for depression. We used chi-square tests and STATA’s exact logistic regressions to compensate for the small sample size.

Findings: Young adults characterized arrest, detention, or deportation of a family member targeted by enforcement officials as the most challenging and distressing immigration enforcement experiences. Having witnessed or otherwise been involved in the enforcement episodes as a child adds to the severity of the experiences. The sample’s mean age is 22.85; 22% are male, and 75% identify as Hispanic. And 18% have experienced severe immigration enforcement exposure as a child. Nineteen respondents(26%) have experienced anxiety, and ten (14%) also have depression. Exposure to severe immigration enforcement in childhood significantly predicts current anxiety among young adults (OR = 5.50, p < .05) while controlling for age, gender, and Hispanic identity. Risk for depression is associated with severe exposure (χ²= 8. 009, p <.05), but the estimates are unreliable given large confidence intervals.

Implications: The findings illustrate the importance of understanding the possible long-term effects of immigration enforcement episodes during childhood. The study’s small sample size and lack of generalizability are limitations. While we cannot establish causal relationships, the study’s triangulation of two data sources yields credence. Furthermore, given that those who shared the most distressing experiences in interviews chose not to complete the survey, our findings likely underestimate the extent of severe immigration enforcement exposure. Social workers and policymakers need to be aware that immigration enforcement episodes are adverse experiences with the potential for profound effects on children with lasting impacts.