Congress: Pass bi-partisan immigration reform and protect DACA recipients
We stand in opposition to the President’s repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
This opposition is supported by a large and growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating the harm caused both individually and to public health by immigration policies that deny pathways to citizenship for undocumented individuals.
Science demonstrates the significant damage to health and wellbeing that undocumented immigrants face. This is in contrast to a long history, in the health sciences, of describing and recognizing the so-called “healthy immigrant bias.” On average, immigrants are healthier than the general population. This observed health advantage diminishes over time as immigrants become more assimilated to American culture, adopting more sedentary lifestyles and consuming a Western diet. Further, immigration raids and other state actions against immigrants are associated with intergenerational health effects, with women who experience such raids more likely to deliver low birth weight babies in the subsequent year.[1] These are non-trivial negative implications for public health in our communities and across the country. Undocumented status effectively negates the ‘healthy immigrant bias.[2] Importantly, emerging evidence suggests that programs such as DACA, which protect against state action and deportation, have positive health impacts.[3] By rescinding DACA the President has placed at least 800,000 registered recipients at risk of deportation and re-exposed them to health risks of uncertain immigration status. Most of these recipients are under thirty, and thus are likely to experience long term and intergenerational health impacts from this cruel and inhumane decision.
Repealing DACA is not the President’s first attack on immigrants. On January 27th he threw the country into chaos and sparked mass protests with his “Muslim Ban”. This ban impacted travelers, refugees, and those already granted Visas. Thanks to the quick action of several states’ attorneys general a temporary stay was placed on the ban. Nevertheless, it has now been implemented in a more limited fashion pending an expected hearing by the Supreme Court this fall. The negative health impacts of such discriminatory policies on local communities whether they are citizens, legal residents, or undocumented are broad and far reaching, ranging from increased stress and depression, to increased incidence of hypertension.[4],[5]
Despite these threats immigrants both documented and undocumented continue to make significant cultural and economic contributions to this country. It is worth taking a minute to consider how much more they might contribute if not faced with an inadequate immigration system, and in the case of the undocumented, continual fear of deportation. However, we should not fall into the trap of insisting that immigrants and refugees justify their existence in this country based on their potential contributions. Immigrants, documented or undocumented are humans. We call on Congress and the President to pass a clean DREAM Act granting these DACA recipients immunity and a path to citizenship without tying it to border security. Further we call on Congress to pass bi-partisan immigration reform that humanely addresses the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country who do not qualify for DACA, and the thousands of refugees fleeing conflicts across the globe who need a safe place to call home and rebuild their lives. It is past time that we live up to the words of Emma Lazarus and truly welcome not just those who might contribute the most economically, but also “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses” and allow those people to breathe free.
[1] Novak NL, Geronimus AT, Matinez-Cardoso AM. Change in Birth Outcomes among Infants Born to Latina Mothers After a Major Immigration Raid. International Journal of Epidemiology (2017) June 46(3):839–849.
[2] Young MT, Pebley AR. Legal Status, Time in the USA, and the Well-Being of Latinos in Los Angeles. J Urban Health (2017). Epublished September 5 2017.
[3] Patler C, Laster Pirtle W. From Undocumented to Lawfully Present: Do Changes in Legal Status Impact Psychological Wellbeing Among Latino Immigrant Young Adults? Soc Sci Med (2017). Epublished March 9 2017.
[4] Budhwani H, Hearld KR. Muslim Women’s Experience with Stigma, Abuse, and Depression: Results of a Sample Study Conducted in the United States. Journal of Women’s Health (2017) May 26(5): 435–441.
[5] Johnston DW, Lordan G. Discrimination Makes me Sick! An Examination of Discrimination-Health Relationship. J Health Econ (2012) January 31(1):99–111
