Health issues and human rights for deported men and women on the US-Mexico border: A humanitarian assessment

This exploratory study enhances the public health understanding of the impact of US deportation policies, through interviews with deportees in the Mexican bordertown of Nogales. The study objective explores the direct health impact of deportation-related trauma and the indirect effect on family left behind. Background: Nogales is adjacent to southern Arizona, the epicenter of migrant deaths and enforcement. Interior deportations increased in recent years, sending people to unfamiliar and volatile border settings. Since 2006, humanitarian organization No More Deaths (NMD) has worked in binational partnership to provide basic care to migrants in Nogales. Yet, there is limited demographic and health-related knowledge about this displaced and mobile population. Methods: From July 2010 to March 2011, NMD volunteers will complete approximately 75 surveys with recently deported people, a convenience sample. Consent is gained for a 30-minute interview, which take place in a migrant shelter, clinic and soupkitchen. The NMD Nogales Committee will conduct further analysis of the data. Preliminary results (survey in progress) provide a glimpse of correlations between strong ties to the US and exposure to violence with declining health status. The average years lived in the US is 15.6, from California, Colorado and Washington, among others. 90% of respondents have an average of 2.7 children currently living in the US. High emotional distress (average rating: 3/10-point scale) is often accompanied by physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress and associated with experiences of abuse or violence. Implications: Future research may explore the causal determinants of health linked to deportation and longitudinal impact, as migrants return to communities in the US with increased illness. This study is a landmark step toward offering enhanced services, particularly for mental health, in the Southwest borderlands and beyond. Finally, the public health impact of deportation should be considered in advocacy efforts for comprehensive immigration reform.