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Ramage K, Stirling-Cameron E, Ramos NE, Martinez SanRoman I, Bojorquez I, Spata A, Baltazar Lujano B, Goldenberg SM. "When you leave your country, this is what you're in for": experiences of structural, legal, and gender-based violence among asylum-seeking women at the Mexico-U.S. border. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1699. [PMID: 37659997 PMCID: PMC10474729 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16538-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent U.S. immigration policy has increasingly focused on asylum deterrence and has been used extensively to rapidly deport and deter asylum-seekers, leaving thousands of would-be asylum-seekers waiting indefinitely in Mexican border cities, a large and growing proportion of whom are pregnant and parenting women. In the border city of Tijuana, Mexico, these women are spending unprecedented durations waiting under unsafe humanitarian conditions to seek safety in the U.S, with rising concerns regarding increases in gender-based violence (GBV) among this population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given existing gaps in evidence, we aimed to describe the lived experiences of GBV in the context of asylum deterrence policies among pregnant and parenting asylum-seeking women at the Mexico-U.S. border. METHODS Within the community-based Maternal and Infant Health for Refugee & Asylum-Seeking Women (MIHRA) study, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 asylum-seeking women in Tijuana, Mexico between June and December 2022. Eligible women had been pregnant or postpartum since March 2020, were 18-49 years old, and migrated for the purposes of seeking asylum in the U.S. Drawing on conceptualizations of structural and legal violence, we conducted a thematic analysis of participants' experiences of GBV in the context of asylum deterrence policies and COVID-19. RESULTS Pregnant and parenting asylum-seeking women routinely faced multiple forms of GBV perpetuated by asylum deterrence policies at all stages of migration (pre-migration, in transit, and in Tijuana). Indefinite wait times to cross the border and inadequate/unsafe shelter exacerbated further vulnerability to GBV. Repeated exposure to GBV contributed to poor mental health among women who reported feelings of fear, isolation, despair, shame, and anxiety. The lack of supports and legal recourse related to GBV in Tijuana highlighted the impact of asylum deterrence policies on this ongoing humanitarian crisis. CONCLUSION Asylum deterrence policies undermine the health and safety of pregnant and parenting asylum-seeking women at the Mexico-U.S. border. There is an urgent need to end U.S. asylum deterrence policies and to provide respectful, appropriate, and adequately resourced humanitarian supports to pregnant and parenting asylum-seeking women in border cities, to reduce women's risk of GBV and trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaylee Ramage
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Emma Stirling-Cameron
- Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Isela Martinez SanRoman
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Center for Latin American Studies, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ietza Bojorquez
- Department of Population Studies, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico
| | - Arianna Spata
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Center for Latin American Studies, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Shira M Goldenberg
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
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Morales FR, Nguyen-Finn KL, Haidar M, Mercado A. Humanitarian crisis on the US-Mexico border: Mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers. Curr Opin Psychol 2022; 48:101452. [PMID: 36084505 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Families and youth from the Northern Triangle of Central America seeking asylum in the U.S. report substantial trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Sexual and gender minorities of this population especially present unique circumstances and thus challenges and needs. However, with immigration along the southern U.S. border at a 21-year high, health and social resources for refugees and asylum seekers are being strained. Accordingly, the primary aim of this review is to raise awareness about migration-related trauma and the mental health needs among Central American and LGBTQ + refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S.-Mexico border. The authors also discuss practical, clinical, and advocacy implications to improve the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers entering the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances R Morales
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA
| | - Kim L Nguyen-Finn
- School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA
| | - Makram Haidar
- School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA
| | - Alfonso Mercado
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA; School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA.
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Cruz Piñeiro R, Ibarra CS. A narrative-based approach to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of stranded immigrants in four border cities in Mexico. Front Public Health 2022; 10:982389. [PMID: 36438232 PMCID: PMC9682118 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.982389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective This paper describes the impact that the different COVID-19 related restrictions have had on the mental health and wellbeing of 57 Central American and Caribbean immigrants stranded in Mexico due to the pandemic. Methods Ethnographic data was obtained through the application of in-depth interviews centered on topics such as migration history, personal experience with COVID-19 and beliefs about the pandemic. This information was further analyzed through a narrative approach and Atlas Ti. Main findings US Title 42 and the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) have stranded thousands of individuals in the US-Mexico border region, a situation that has overcrowded the available shelters in the area and forced many of the immigrants to live on the streets and in improvised encampments. Thus, exposing them to a higher risk of contagion. Furthermore, the majority of the interviewed Central American and Caribbean immigrants consider that Mexico is more lenient when it comes to the enforcement of sanitary measures, especially when compared to their countries of origin. Finally, vaccination hesitancy was low among the interviewees, mainly due to the operative aspects of the vaccination effort in Mexico and the fear of ruining their chances to attain asylum in the US. These findings are backed up by the discovery of five recurring narratives among the interviewees regarding: (1) The pandemic's psychological impact. (2) The uncertainty of being stranded in Mexico and the long wait. (3) Their fear of violence over the fear of contagion. (4) The perceived leniency of Mexico with the pandemic when compared to their countries of origin, and (5) their beliefs about the pandemic and vaccines. Key finding The mental health of stranded Central American and Caribbean immigrants in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic is mostly affected by their inability to make it across the US-Mexico border using legal means.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Cruz Piñeiro
- Population Studies Department, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico,*Correspondence: Rodolfo Cruz Piñeiro
| | - Carlos S. Ibarra
- El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico,Carlos S. Ibarra
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