Critical Review Milestone

I will be researching the humanitarian crisis at the United States border involving racialized or visible minorities. I am particularly interested in the groups coming from the Caribbean and Central America. More specifically, I am looking to identify the challenges Haitian migrants coming into the United States face and the federal government response.

According to (UNHCR) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees the global number of displaced people is 70 million, the highest recorded since WWII. America’s history on immigration has long been one of not welcoming to some groups. Out of sight for the most part operates a Border Patrol that has consistently engaged in human rights violations, unfair racial profiling, harassment, and consistent pursuit of border crossers. Refugees are stateless, they are disempowered, disenfranchised, and are treated as secondary members of society. The discrimination and racist attitudes on the issue of immigration and citizenship is troubling.

 "The fear of deportation has never been so in my face as it is now," said Mendoza, who is protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which the Trump administration is trying to terminate.

Immigrant arrests and deportations of longtime residents have surged under Trump, heightening fear, and mistrust of law enforcement in Latino communities, advocates say. Some 55 percent of Latinos say they worry that a relative or close friend will be deported, up from 47 percent a year ago. (Washington Post 2018/10/26 2125123266, Pos. 14-15)

My goal was to attempt to contribute to a critical analysis of restrictionism immigration policies. The selected scholarship articles, I selected were focused on

 The Impact of Perceived Discrimination and Immigration Policies upon Perceptions on Quality of Life Among Latinos in the United States.

 David Becerra and David Androff used secondary data analysis to support their findings. The selected journal article sought to identify and examine possible risk and protective factors that may be associated with Latinos’ perceptions of quality of life in the United States.

Secondary data analyses were conducted of preexisting data from a publicly available 2007 Pew Hispanic Center survey (National Survey of Latinos) of a disproportionate

stratified random digit dialing (RDD) sample of 2,000 Latino adults living in the United States.(Becerra et al., 2013) The scholarship took on a naturalist approach by examining perceptions of discrimination. The interview questioned if the participants had direct experience with being discriminated against. Perceived discrimination was on a 3-item scale (a = .75).

Participants were asked about discrimination in three areas: school, workplace, and preventing Latinos from succeeding in the United States. The response options were recorded to

1 = not a problem, 2 = minor problem, and 3 = major problem. (Becerra et al., 2013) Based on the way the study was conducted and the meticulous recording of the data new knowledge was gained it was empirical and the study could be reproduced.

This scholarship provided valuable information on specific ways in which both documented and undocumented lives are impacted by restrictionism and immigration enforcement procedures. I gained meaningful information how the migrants lived with pervasive fear due to worksite raids, experienced psychological trauma, mental health trauma, fear of deportation which kept families from seeking help from agencies, and social isolation of families. This was not in all honesty an area I had considered when looking at restrictionism and the impact on racialized or visible asylum seekers seeking sanctuary in the United States. The impact of increased immigration enforcement on children is of grave concern, particularly given that at least 5 million children, most of which are native-born US citizens, are living with at least one undocumented parent (Capps et al. 2007). Capps et al. (2007) found that children and families experienced pervasive fear because of workplace raids and this fear can have lasting effects on children’s psychological well-being. The separation of families and the resulting destabilization creates psychological trauma for the children involved.(Becerra et al., 2013)

The strength of this research was the use of quantitative data it supplied on the impact of US immigration policies and quality of life were the examined outcomes for this study. The impact of US immigration policies was examined by analyzing participants’ responses to three questions having to do with their lived experiences.

The scholarship presented by Michael McBride was entitled

 Migrants and Asylum Seekers: Policy Responses in the United States to Immigrants and Refugees from Central America and the Caribbean was useful at addressing the Research Question I was designing my Applied Research project on. The research examined revisions in the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s procedures and guidelines on deportation and detention. McBride delved into the immigration policy response that the U.S had when the numbers increased in the 1990’s due to natural disaster, and economic challenges in countries from the Caribbean and Central America. The flow of immigration increased, and it was more diverse than in previous periods of history. Escaping Communism was not the push factor for asylum seekers. The US, other than its indigenous peoples, is a land of immigrants and refugees. Over 18 million persons immigrated between 1946 and 1992, with an average of approximately 700,000 during the last ten years of that period. But as the US immigrant population increased and began to strain government budgets, or was perceived as a threat to cultural homogeneity, public pressure led Congress to place restrictions on immigration.(McBride, 1999) It was important to me that my beliefs or expectations not influence my research design or data collection process, so the historical analysis McBride’s research provided on chronological immigration changes was quite helpful in developing my research methodology approach.

The research, Contemporary American Attitudes Toward U.S. Immigration by Thomas Espenshade goal was to contribute to a systematic examination of factors associated with contemporary American attitudes toward immigration. It was apparently work he had done previously in 1993, where he and other researchers analyzed southern California respondents' views in June of 1983 about the impacts of undocumented migrants and illegal immigration. Espenshade offers important historical information regarding context on restrictionism policies in the United States.  The first quantitative restrictions on U.S. immigration were passed during the 1920s with the effect of imposing national-origin quotas that favored migrants from northern and western Europe. (Espenshade,1996) Espenshade’s research suggested that ethnic intolerance and racial prejudice came down to growing concerns over economic insecurity and anxieties over negative cultural traits associated with migrants. Data to test these hypotheses came from a U.S. public opinion survey

conducted by CBS News, The New York Times, and the Tokyo Broadcasting System in June 1993. This research information became vitally important as I began looking at my research and finding connections which examined public opinion and the impact on immigration policy.

The Adverse health effects of punitive immigrant policies in the United States:  This scholarship by Vernice provided a quantitative methodology approach which offered concrete data that could easily be reproduced. The use of looking at several data sources was important in terms of finding out why undocumented individuals not seeking medical attention. This type of data analysis is important to the research I am committed to looking at when identifying and addressing quality of life issues of the documented and undocumented lives of immigrants and the challenges they face.

 Research Question: How has the change in immigration policy had an1) impact on healthcare utilization, (2) impact on women’s and children's health, (3) impact on mental health services, and (4) impact on public health. research. (Vernice et al., 2020)

Research Design : To examine the historical effects anti-immigrant policies have had on health outcomes for communities they directly affect, we systematically selected and reviewed studies published after the Immigration Act of 1990 that investigated the adverse health effects that specific anti-immigrant policies had on immigrant communities in the US.(Vernice et al., 2020)

Approach & Method : A systematic review, of the following databases from inception–May 2020 for original research articles with no language restrictions: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Cochrane Library (Wiley), Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), CIn 1996, both the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (“Welfare Act”) as well as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) were passed; an interview series assessing their effects found that undocumented individuals consistently indicated they would refrain from or delay seeking medical treatment due to fears of immigration enforcement NAHL (EBSCO), and Social Work Abstracts (Ovid). This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42019138817. Articles with cohort sizes >10 that directly evaluated the health-related effects of a punitive immigrant law or policy within the US were included. (Vernice et al.,2020) The journal article began with a brief explanation of which studies were used to analyze health related effects punitive immigrant policy in the United States. Text publications for 172 studies were eligible as part of the analysis process. Several diagrams demonstrating participant demographics were included in the article

More Than a Wall the Rise and Fall of US Asylum and Refugee Policy

by Ruth Ellen Wasem

Through my research exploration of the news outlets and social media and the developing of my research design one of the major themes that the data was demonstrating was the connection of the news to political rhetoric, racialized language, discriminatory language and rise in xenophobia. Wasem took what can best be described as a constructivist approach in her research. The research was an effort to understand any real reason to support restricting immigration due to national or personal security. For my research I was interested in knowing if the need of restictionism immigration was justified or related to truth.   

This article uses a multidisciplinary approach — analyzing historical sources, refugee and asylum admissions data, legislative provisions, and public opinion data — to track the rise and fall of the US asylum and refugee policy.

Research Question – How has xenophobia been the fuel behind restrictionism immigration policies?  The researcher seeks to discover is there any foundation or evidence to support restricting immigration due to fear over public safety, national security, rise in terrorism, infiltration of gang membership. 

Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods are employed by the researcher. I was interested in evidence to support that U.S. Immigration Policy discriminatory towards Haitians and other minorities.

Research Method: Qualitative Analytical Approach

Summary: The journal article begins with The Bush administration policy of forcibly repatriating Haitian refugees to initially ALWD 7th ed. This was a perfect lead in for my research design because I wanted to fucus on treatment of asylum seekers from the geographic region of Central America and the Caribbean.

Refugees, Racism and Reparations was written by Malissa Lennox.

The Research Question: Does Contemporary-United States Immigration Policy support the argument on discrimination towards Haitian Immigrants? The journal article delves into a historical look back at the changing federal government changes brought on by presidential initiatives. Highlighting President Clinton not revoking executive order, by Bush which mandated the complete exclusion of Haitian refugees without determining whether they possess a genuine fear of persecution.(Lennox, 1993)

United States Immigration Policy regarding Haiti has never been welcoming. The Policy has been one of deportation, detention, and interdiction. Historically one can look back at 1809 during the French and Haitian Revolution when “To curtail migration, the United States enacted its first fugitive slave legislation.”(Lennox, 1993)

During 1972- 1980 the United States government accelerated the deportation process and effectively moved to deny the refugee status of Haitians.In1981 President Reagan issued orders to interdict boats carrying Haitians at sea. Essentially refugees at sea have no rights. The growth of restrictionism Immigration policies for people of color was documented in this resource. The journal article also addresses the denial of legal counsel to migrants seeking asylum and uses legal cases to highlight the challenges and difficulties this group faces because of the ever-changing immigration policies. The strength of the research can also be seen numerous cases the legal community presented on behalf of the Haitian refugees who basically were left in limbo. Case examples to support the research –

 INS vs Cardoza-Fonseca,480 US 421

Haitian Refugee Ctr v Smith,676F.2D1023 & Louis v Nelson,594 F. the case involved INS detention program involving the scattering Haitian refugees who arrived by boat to south Florida to remote detention centers with little access to legal support and few Creole Interpreters.(Lennox, 1993)

Research Method - Qualitative

If the research method had been one in which it was exclusively a Quantitative analytical approach hard data measuring how many of Haitian refugees had spent time in the detention centers, and how much time waiting on their asylum applications to be processed. That data could be compared to other refugee groups and provided an analysis plan to develop questionnaires. Another example of a quantitative approach would be to survey refugees to see how many of the respondent’s experienced discrimination through the asylum application process. Those surveys should be close ended or multiple-choice questions. If the researcher had reported the number of legal cases that had been filed involving reported refugee discrimination vs the Federal Government, it would provide quantitative data.

 Another example of how if the researcher had used a quantitative analysis of asylum applications, there would have been definitive statistical measurable explanation as to why out of 50,000 applications only 25 were granted asylum.  

“Between 1972 and 1980, approximately 50,000 Haitians attempted to gain asylum in the United States; as few as twenty-five succeeded. As the number of Haitians Reconciliation Act (“Welfare Act”) as well as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) was discussed in the article; an interview series assessing their effects found that undocumented individuals consistently indicated they would refrain from or delay seeking medical treatment due to fears of immigration.

Conclusion: Research indicates that punitive policies have significantly decreased immigrant access to basic healthcare services. The gap I recognized was that the study focused entirely on Latinx immigrant communities. It would have been better if race and ethnicity of other immigrant communities had been part of the research study. As the number of Haitians Reconciliation Act (“Welfare Act”) as well as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) was discussed in the article; an interview series assessing their effects found that undocumented individuals consistently indicated they would refrain from or delay seeking medical treatment due to fears of immigration.

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