Nationalism, Racism, and “Bad” Immigrants: Online Discourse Surrounding Unaccompanied Central American Minors and Its Implications

Background: The numbers of unaccompanied Central American (C.A.) minors that came to the US in Summer 2014 illuminated the inadequacies of laws in place to process these minors, and social, economic, and political factors contributing to their migration. This study examined with which frames participants in the online comment sections on articles about the U.S. response to unaccompanied C.A. minors engage with respect to C.A. immigrants specifically, and Latin American immigrants and Latinos generally. We then considered how these discourses may affect these populations’ health and vulnerability. 

Methods: We considered three CNN articles that focused on unaccompanied C.A. minors, published mid-June to early July, 2014, that contained 10,000–20,000 comments. From comments marked “best,” we analyzed the first 500. We developed domains that captured commenters’ primary arguments, sorted comments into these domains, discussed discrepancies, and considered themes within each domain.

Results: Three domains contained themes relevant to mass media and health: “Racism and Xenophobia,” “Defending the Homeland,” and “The Good vs. Bad Immigrant.” Themes within these domains included dehumanizing and homogenizing unaccompanied C.A. minors, and advocating for restriction of life-saving resources and use of militarized violence against C.A. minors and U.S. Latinos.

Conclusions: Findings demonstrate arguments immigrant rights advocates, public health practitioners, and policymakers should expect.  Such themes may inform health policy advocacy to affect the vulnerability and health of C.A. minors and other Latinos.  Findings indicate a need to critically analyze the role of online media that foments mentalities imperiling the health of these and other marginalized groups.