UC Merced Magazine | Volume XVIII, Issue IV

“We found that having contact with the immigration enforcement system is bad for people’s health”

“If a person knew somebody who had been deported, it doesn’t matter their race or ethnicity,” said Young. “That is a risk for psychological distress. It’s a risk for reporting worse health.” According to the study, 65% of those surveyed felt that they would be prevented from gaining legal U.S. immigration status if they used government benefits such as income assistance, health care, food programs and housing aid. Young said a significant takeaway was that responses varied substantially, by region. Immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley immigrants in the Bay Area or in Los Angeles/Southern California. In the San Joaquin Valley, immigrants were five times more likely to see had higher rates of negative experiences compared with

immigration enforcement authorities in their neighborhood compared to those in the Bay Area neighborhoods. Compared to immigrants in Los Angeles/Southern California, twice as many in the San Joaquin Valley reported being watched by law enforcement. Young said she hopes the research findings establish evidence that the enforcement system is harmful to health and serve as information to policymakers. “If they endorse policies that expand or permit enforcement, there are going to be negative repercussions to the well-being of Californians,” she said. Because results showed that immigrant experiences differed by region, Young has concluded that there are inconsistencies with

enforcement in different locations. She is now working to understand what is leading to the geographical discrepancies. This research consists of interviews with service providers, healthcare providers and those responsible for bringing social services to immigrants. Young is asking why people feel safer despite sanctuary-state policies in California. “Recent reports indicate that California’s policies to disentangle local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement have been inconsistently implemented across regions, with some local law enforcement agencies continuing to collaborate with immigration enforcement authorities,” said Young. “It is critical to ensure that the policies California has enacted to protect immigrants from immigration enforcement provide protection across all regions and immigrant groups.”

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