Fuck those kids!
2. How does being undocumented negatively affect well-being?
In the video, Jong-Min, Pedro and Silvia all describe the negative impacts that their undocumented status has had on their lives. Jong-Min shared how being undocumented feels like being in an “invisible prison”. Pedro had the traumatic experience of being held in an actual prison for 24 hours for simply being found on a Greyhound bus on his way back to college.
Silvia had to go through the ordeal of her mother trying to flee prosecution for being undocumented and having a seizure while doing so. Being undocumented has created significant obstacles for these three bright, ambitious individuals to fulfilling their hopes and dreams. And they are not alone. Many undocumented immigrant children and youth are frequently subject to experiences like
vii:
- racial profiling
- ongoing discrimination
- exposure to gangs
- immigration raids in their communities
- arbitrary stopping of family members to check their documentation status
- being forcibly taken or separated from their families
- returning home to find their families have been taken away
- placement in detention camps or the child welfare system
- deportation
These stressful experiences can lead to a number of negative emotional and behavioral outcomes including anxiety, fear, depression, anger, social isolation and lack of a sense of belonging. And, of course, separation from their families can be particularly traumatizing for children and youth. For young children whose undocumented parents have been detained or even deported, the impact can be severe. Researchers have found that they often experience in the short term, frequent crying, withdrawal, disrupted eating and sleeping patterns, anger, anxiety and depression. Over time, these can lead to more severe issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, poor identity formation, difficulty forming relationships, feelings of persecution, distrust of institutions and authority figures, acting out behaviors and difficulties at school
vii.