A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan
Abstract Background Given the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy proposals by President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and afterwards, his election to president in November 2016 and subsequent policy changes has affected immigrant families. In this study, we aim to better underst...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
BMC
2019-07-01
|
Series: | BMC Public Health |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-7290-3 |
_version_ | 1811299168837173248 |
---|---|
author | Paul J. Fleming William D. Lopez Hannah Mesa Raymond Rion Ellen Rabinowitz Richard Bryce Monika Doshi |
author_facet | Paul J. Fleming William D. Lopez Hannah Mesa Raymond Rion Ellen Rabinowitz Richard Bryce Monika Doshi |
author_sort | Paul J. Fleming |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Background Given the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy proposals by President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and afterwards, his election to president in November 2016 and subsequent policy changes has affected immigrant families. In this study, we aim to better understand how post-election policy change may have impacted the health and well-being, including health and social service utilization, of Latino immigrants in Southeastern Michigan. Methods We conducted 28 in-depth interviews with frontline staff at two Federally Qualified Health Centers and a non-profit agency. These staff had intimate knowledge of and insights into the lived experiences of the mixed-status immigrant families they serve. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results Our findings show three major themes: (1) An increased and pervasive fear of deportation and family separation among mixed-status immigrant clients, (2) The fear of deportation and family separation has resulted in fractures in community cohesion, and (3) Fear of deportation and family separation has had an impact on the healthcare utilization and health-related behaviors of mixed-status families. Staff members report that these three factors have had an impact on physical and mental health of these immigrant clients. Conclusions These results add to previous literature on the effect of immigration policies on the health and provide key insights for interventions to improve the health of immigrants within this socio-political environment. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:32:10Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-b39404cd884d47f5a3c768dd75587a6d |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1471-2458 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:32:10Z |
publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
publisher | BMC |
record_format | Article |
series | BMC Public Health |
spelling | doaj.art-b39404cd884d47f5a3c768dd75587a6d2022-12-22T02:58:07ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582019-07-011911910.1186/s12889-019-7290-3A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast MichiganPaul J. Fleming0William D. Lopez1Hannah Mesa2Raymond Rion3Ellen Rabinowitz4Richard Bryce5Monika Doshi6Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public HealthDepartment of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public HealthDepartment of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public HealthPackard HealthWashtenaw Health PlanCommunity Health and Social Services (CHASS) CenterDepartment of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public HealthAbstract Background Given the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy proposals by President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and afterwards, his election to president in November 2016 and subsequent policy changes has affected immigrant families. In this study, we aim to better understand how post-election policy change may have impacted the health and well-being, including health and social service utilization, of Latino immigrants in Southeastern Michigan. Methods We conducted 28 in-depth interviews with frontline staff at two Federally Qualified Health Centers and a non-profit agency. These staff had intimate knowledge of and insights into the lived experiences of the mixed-status immigrant families they serve. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results Our findings show three major themes: (1) An increased and pervasive fear of deportation and family separation among mixed-status immigrant clients, (2) The fear of deportation and family separation has resulted in fractures in community cohesion, and (3) Fear of deportation and family separation has had an impact on the healthcare utilization and health-related behaviors of mixed-status families. Staff members report that these three factors have had an impact on physical and mental health of these immigrant clients. Conclusions These results add to previous literature on the effect of immigration policies on the health and provide key insights for interventions to improve the health of immigrants within this socio-political environment.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-7290-3United StatesMichiganWICTrumpDeportationFQHC |
spellingShingle | Paul J. Fleming William D. Lopez Hannah Mesa Raymond Rion Ellen Rabinowitz Richard Bryce Monika Doshi A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan BMC Public Health United States Michigan WIC Trump Deportation FQHC |
title | A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan |
title_full | A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan |
title_fullStr | A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan |
title_full_unstemmed | A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan |
title_short | A qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 US election on the health of immigrant families in Southeast Michigan |
title_sort | qualitative study on the impact of the 2016 us election on the health of immigrant families in southeast michigan |
topic | United States Michigan WIC Trump Deportation FQHC |
url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-7290-3 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT pauljfleming aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT williamdlopez aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT hannahmesa aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT raymondrion aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT ellenrabinowitz aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT richardbryce aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT monikadoshi aqualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT pauljfleming qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT williamdlopez qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT hannahmesa qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT raymondrion qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT ellenrabinowitz qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT richardbryce qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan AT monikadoshi qualitativestudyontheimpactofthe2016uselectiononthehealthofimmigrantfamiliesinsoutheastmichigan |