The Mental Health of Hispanic/Latino Americans Following National Immigration Policy Changes: United States, 2014-2018

Objectives. To examine the relationship between aggressive enforcement of anti-immigration policies and mental health among Hispanics/Latinos in the United States before and after major national immigration policy changes. Methods. Data were drawn from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys administered from 2014 to 2018. The exposure was the rate of immigration arrests in the 2 months before the survey date within the respondent's state of residence. Outcomes included past-month reporting of (1) number of days of poor mental health, (2) at least 1 day of poor mental health, and (3) frequent mental distress. Results. There was no relationship between arrest rates and mental health among Hispanic/Latino respondents across the overall period. After consideration of policy changes, however, a 1-percentage-point increase in a state's immigration arrest rate in the postpolicy period was significantly associated with each mental health morbidity outcome. Conclusions. We found evidence supporting an association between worsening mental health among Hispanics/Latinos and increased arrest rates following the announcement of several restrictive immigration policies. The potential public health effects of aggressive immigration enforcement must be better acknowledged and addressed in immigration debates.