Citation:
Abstract:
Immigration reform and the various costs
associated with undocumented immigration have been in
national headlines in the past few years. The growth of
Latinos as the US’ largest ethno-racial minority has
sparked debates about the ‘‘browning’’ of the United States
and led to an increase in anti-immigrant discrimination.
While some researchers have documented the effects of
racial discrimination on the mental health of ethno-racial
minorities in the United States, less has explored how antiimmigrant
discrimination and undocumented status influence
the mental and psychological well-being of Latino
immigrants, more specifically Brazilian immigrants, in the
United States. Relying on data from in-depth interviews
conducted with 49 Brazilian return migrants who immigrated
to the United States and subsequently returned
to Brazil, this paper will examine how their experiences
living as racialized and primarily undocumented immigrants
in the United States influenced their mental health.
Specifically, I demonstrate that respondents experienced
ethno-racial and anti-immigrant discrimination and endured
various challenges that had negative implications for their
mental health. This paper will also discuss additional factors
that researchers should take into account when
examining immigrants’ mental health and the challenges
immigrants encounter in a racialized society with increasing
anti-immigrant sentiment.