Those Punished by Immigration Laws Often Struggle With Mental Health
Deportation can cause mental health disorders for those being deported or for their loved ones who have to suffer through the hardships. American citizens affected by deportations are forced to exile to other countries, or left struggling without their head of household. Many families are torn apart. It’s a dilemma that weighs greatly on people’s mental health.
Anxiety, PTSD, and suicide have been among the most common problems faced by those affected, according to the pewtrusts.org, which published the paper, An Immigrant Community Haunted by Suicide.
The publication states that even though there’s a lack of data reported there are several connections on the effects of deportations on mental health disorders.
Amanda Gonzalez, a mother of three, knows this all too well. She is currently fighting for her husband’s return after he was deported to Honduras.
“They asked my husband to come in for questioning on Jan 10, 2020. He was in there for 15 minutes and the cop arrested him. He was deported in June. He never had a chance to go to trial and now has a warrant for a crime he isn’t even guilty for, ” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez continues to fight to have her family reunited. She has thought about moving to Honduras, but with the civil unrest and damages caused by hurricane Eta it seems unrealistic.
She has created a Facebook support group page for woman who are facing similar struggles called, Woman for Immigration Equality.
Through support groups like these many woman find the strength to keep moving forward. It helps them cope with the toll these immigration issues take on their mental health.
Sometimes the strain isn’t just on the spouses of those who are deported or detained, it can also affect those who have been deported themselves.
Renee Alvarez, a U.S. citizen from Texas lost her husband after he was deported to Mexico.
JJ Alvarez was brought to the U.S. at the age of two. He was deported in August 2018 after being detained for a misdemeanor. While he was detained she did everything in her power to start the legal process. After filing for the I-130 petition, and after a few months of confusion, she came to find that he would still be denied and would face a 10 year ban.
He had never been to Mexico and as soon as he was dropped off by immigration his misfortune began. Renee said she believes that later, depression started to set in for her husband.
“My husband was kidnapped at the border … by Los Zetas,” she said about the drug cartel that targeted her husband. “They made us pay $4,500 and said if its paid and the boss isn’t there they’d let him go. But if the boss was there when paid he’d be handed to someone else and it would be $10,000 to that person. Then, he’d be taken across the border and then another $10,000 to reveal his location. And if it was over 24 hours he’d be dead but would still need the $10,000 for his location,” said, Alvarez.
Luckily her husband was let go after the $4,500 was paid.
Struggling financially, the family decided that he would stay in Mexico while they finished working on getting him back to the U.S. legally. He was alone in a big city. Even though he was in his birth country he was still a stranger and was targeted several times by robbers.
JJ was struggling to find a job in Mexico. Since he didn’t have proof that he had lived there for more than six months he couldn’t get his paperwork started. After six months he tried re-applying but he didn’t have proof that he went to school or graduated there. Every one was shutting their doors on him.
At that point the best thing they could do was to keep trying to get him back legally.
“We were waiting on the I-130 to process and then the first interview because they told us he could be back in two years but it took two years for the I-130 to be accepted. It was accepted two days before he died. We were going to move if he got denied entry,” said Alvarez.
His death was ruled as a suicide. His family believes he was murdered, but his wife knows he was depressed and might have lost hope of ever being granted permission to be back in the U.S. to be reunited with her and their children.
“No note left behind, lots of bibles scattered everywhere, he was wearing my t-shirt, had been holding my sons toy car … I know he was depressed,” she said.
Gonzalez and Alvarez have different immigration stories, but the one thing they have in common is the fight against an immigration system that has torn their families apart, and dealing with mental health issues that stem from that. Many blame the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform Act for creating this atmosphere, it has prevented them from being able to fix their husbands legal immigration status.
Stacy Culver, an immigration activist, and wife to an immigrant, is fighting to keep families like hers united. She has been working with American Families United, an organization fighting to change the 1996 act. Together they have worked on a bill that will help U.S. citizens who are married or have parents to avoid being banned from the U.S.
The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform And Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) passed by Bill Clinton was put in place to ensure the security of the United States and limit the amount of immigrants coming into the country. Unfortunately, this act has been affecting many U.S. citizens. After an immigrant has been deported once, they receive an automatic 5–10 year ban. If they come back this can turn into a 20 year ban. Many immigrants return after being deported not knowing the consequence and form families with United States citizens. It’s not until after they begin their journey to try and become legal that they stumble upon many obstacles and realize that it’s almost impossible. This in turn leads to the despair and anguish that can cause mental health issues.
Culver hopes reform will come soon enough. “My congressman [Rep. Rob Woodall] is a huge Trump fan, but he promised to help my family and all families like ours. It’s been almost 2 years and then I finally get tagged, called, and emailed that he has accepted the bill and plans to present it to Congress.”
