Immigration Policies and COVID-19: Addressing Compounded Crises for Latinx Children in the US

• In Event: DACA and Families

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened acute adversity and uncertainty among children of immigrants already coping with intense strain due to parental precarious legal status and unequal healthcare access. Further, harsh immigration policies, particularly those prioritizing detention and deportation, leave record numbers of children at heightened risk of trauma and severe psychological distress. Growing up in mixed-status families compounds chronic risk amidst a global pandemic and jeopardizes the health of a growing segment of Latinx citizen children and DACA youth. Using the social determinants of health framework and drawing from previous studies, this talk presents foci for future research and implications for clinical practice with Latinx children experiencing immigration enforcement during and after COVID-19. Findings highlight a need for 1) community-participatory and multidisciplinary research to enhance mixed-status families' resilience and inform policy, and 2) multi-component, trauma-informed interventions to advance equity and well-being for children affected by immigration enforcement.

Author

• Lisseth Rojas-Flores, Fuller Theological Seminary
  Presenting Author