Anti-immigrant Research Articles

Immigration Policy as a Social Determinant of Health among Brazilian Immigrants in the United States: A Narrative Review.

The pervasive effects of increasingly restrictive migration policies on the health of immigrant populations in the U.S. have been well-documented, but not so much concerning the unique experiences of Brazilian immigrants, a subgroup of the Latino/a/x population. Considering that, this narrative review article employs a research design that is both conceptual and exploratory-to understand the possible connections and associations between restrictive immigration policies and negative health outcomes among Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. Findings indicate that Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. face an array of health and non-health related challenges, including racism and poor working conditions, with undocumented individuals experiencing worse outcomes. Studies highlight the complex relationship between immigration policies and health and emphasize the detrimental effects of deportation fear, healthcare access obstacles, and mental health repercussions due to hostile immigration policymaking and generalized anti-immigrant sentiment. More research is needed to understand the unique challenges faced by the Brazilian immigrant population concerning several mental and physical health outcomes.

Experiences of Immigrants During Disasters in the US: A Systematic Literature Review.

As a vulnerable population, immigrants can be disproportionately affected by disasters. Because of their legal and migratory status, immigrants may have different challenges, needs, and possibilities when facing a disaster. Yet, within disaster studies, immigrants are rarely studied alone. Instead, they are often considered part of the large heterogeneous group of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. This racial classification points to a gap in the literature and in our understanding of how disadvantaged groups may cope with disasters. To address this gap, the current study hypothesizes that: (1) Immigrants have unique experiences and disaster impacts compared to the broader aggregated category of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. and (2) There are variations in disaster experiences and impacts across different types of immigrant subgroups beyond refugees. To explore these hypotheses, a study of the literature across six databases from 2018 to 2023was conducted. The review identified a total of 17 articles discussing immigrant experiences during disasters. Major cross-cutting themes on immigrant disaster experiences include fear of deportation, restrictive immigration status, excessive economic burden and labor exploitation, employment rigidity, adverse health outcomes, limited informational resources and limited social capital, selective disaster relief measures, and infrastructural challenges as regards to housing and transportation. Many of the themes identified are unique to immigrants, such as the fear of deportation, restrictive immigration status and visa policies, and selective disaster relief measures.

Do voters polarise in response to elite dissensus on immigration?

While much of the existing research on public opinion about immigration focuses on anti-immigrant sentiment, less is known about voter polarisation on this issue and its determinants. This article examines the conditions under which elite polarisation, a factor shown in previous research to shape public opinion on a variety of issues, impacts voter polarisation on immigration. To this end, it employs a two-pronged empirical strategy. First, it exploits variation in individual attitudes and elite stances across countries and over time (2002–2019). Second, it employs individual panel data analyses and an instrumental variable approach, respectively. The results reveal little evidence that voters polarise in response to growing elite dissensus, except after elections with a radical right party breakthrough in the national parliament. Instead, some evidence suggests that elite polarisation may in fact depolarise non-partisan voters in remaining elections. These results have important implications for understanding mass–elite linkages on socio-cultural issues.

Immigration restriction and the transfer of cultural norms over time and boundaries: the case of religiosity

Abstract We study the effect of an immigration ban on the self-selection of immigrants along cultural traits, and the transmission of these traits to the second generation. We show theoretically that restricting immigration incentivizes to settle abroad individuals with higher attachment to their origin culture, who, under free mobility, would rather choose circular migration. Once abroad, these individuals tend to convey their cultural traits to their children. As a consequence, restrictive immigration policies can foster the diffusion of cultural traits across boundaries and generations. We focus on religiosity, which is one of the most persistent and distinctive cultural traits, and exploit the 1973 immigration ban in West Germany (Anwerbestopp) as a natural experiment. Through a diff-in-diff analysis, we find that second generations born to parents treated by the Anwerbestopp show higher religiosity.

Transforming public health and economic outcomes by reducing risky behaviors: the potential for South Korea

South Korea faces a diminishing workforce driven by the world's lowest fertility rate, restrictive immigration, and low female labor participation. This paper explores reducing non-communicable diseases from risky behaviors as a solution. We investigate how many cases could be prevented if South Koreans changed risky consumption patterns, and the associated economic healthcare burden impact. Utilizing the Preventable Risk Integrated Model (PRIME), we model hypothetical 2022 reductions in tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy diet risks to estimate disease case and economic cost impacts. We contrast actual 2022 consumption against a moderate harm reduction scenario. Findings reveal potentially preventing approximately 73,400 new non-communicable disease cases, 69% among working-age Koreans, benefiting the workforce. This reduction could save $13 billion from avoided treatment costs, absenteeism, and premature deaths, including $3.7 billion in 2022 and $9.3 billion in future economic losses. The study emphasizes needing a harm reduction regulatory approach balancing public health and societal realities. We advocate risk-proportionate taxation policies incentivizing consumers toward less harmful alternatives. Given government responsibilities preserving both public health and productivity, smart regulation of risky consumption is critical. This timely research quantifies the significant potential gains from strategic interventions on key risk factors, informing policymakers navigating health promotion and economic objectives.

Immigrants and house prices: myths and realities

PurposeThis paper aims to dissect myths from realities. It delves into the nuanced relationship between immigration and housing, emphasizing that while correlation exists, causation is not straightforward. By exploring factors beyond immigration driving housing costs and the multifaceted impact of immigration on labour markets and economic growth, the paper seeks to inform evidence-based policies. It underscores immigration's pivotal role in filling labour shortages, fostering innovation and offsetting demographic challenges. Ultimately, the paper advocates for nuanced policy responses that acknowledge immigration's contributions while addressing housing affordability concerns, steering away from simplistic narratives and embracing the complexities of the issue.Design/methodology/approachOur methodology entails a comprehensive review of literature to elucidate the complex relationship between immigration and housing prices in Canada. We examine studies estimating causal effects of immigration on housing prices, while also considering myriad factors influencing housing demand and supply. Moreover, we analyse government immigration policies to assess their impact on housing markets. Additionally, we integrate insights from economic theory to understand the interconnectedness between immigration, labour markets and housing affordability. Through rigorous analysis and synthesis of existing research, we aim to provide clarity on the myths and realities surrounding the perceived link between immigration and housing prices.FindingsThe paper highlights Canada's historical support for immigration and its substantial benefits, including addressing labour shortages, enhancing economic growth and cultural diversity. However, concerns over immigration's impact on housing prices have shifted public opinion. While immigration is often correlated with housing price increases, causality is complex, with myriad factors at play. Few studies estimate a small, varied effect of immigration on housing prices. Importantly, immigrants increasingly settle in areas with lower housing costs, suggesting self-correcting equilibrium. Immigration also serves as a vital labour source, potentially alleviating housing supply bottlenecks. Restrictive immigration policies risk overlooking these multifaceted contributions to the economy and housing markets.Originality/valueThe paper delineates the complex relationship between immigration and housing prices in Canada, elucidating that while immigration is often correlated with housing price increases, it may not be the causal factor. It highlights the myriad of factors, beyond immigration, influencing housing demand and supply. Despite concerns over immigrants' impact on housing affordability, their contribution to labour markets, innovation and economic growth is substantial. The discussion underscores the importance of informed policies that address both housing affordability and labor market needs. Immigration, far from being solely a factor driving up housing prices, serves as a vital source of labour, fostering economic vitality and cultural diversity in Canada.

Refugees in the Global North: dynamics, dilemmas, and constructive engagement.

The movement of refugees across borders has become a persistent feature of contemporary global society. Despite the protections offered by the 1951 Refugee Convention, which has been ratified by some 146 states, countries in the Global North have adopted a variety of contradictory and incoherent policy responses to refugees and migrants. These responses have been influenced by anti-immigrant public sentiment and growing popular demands to restrict and manage cross-border movements. The dynamics and dilemmas of contemporary refugee movements and policy responses create challenges for advocates and practitioners. Refugee policies have been complicated by the phenomenon of 'mixed migration', where migratory patterns reflect the intersection of economic choices and forced migration. Within this context, we propose that policies of many prosperous countries, which thus far focus almost exclusively on restriction, be guided by considerations of shared responsibility and human dignity.

Citizenship

As a result of increased mobility and restrictive immigration policies in Europe, a growing number of people live in conditional and deportable positions with only limited social rights and access to welfare services. In this keyword, we discuss how the conception of national citizenship that underpins immigration and welfare regimes affects the position of non-citizens, with a particular focus on legal status as an instrument of hierarchisation and social marginalisation in European societies. Immigration systems create hierarchies and divisions by establishing different legal statuses for non-citizens, with wider implications for their position in society. Legal status has become a significant factor in social exclusion and marginality in European societies, intersecting with race, class, gender, and ethnicity to (re)produce social disadvantages. At the same time, migrants’ struggles are situated along the same historical continuum as other previously excluded and marginalised groups, revealing inherent contradictions related to citizenship in modern nation-states and challenging the boundaries of citizenship from the inside.

Conditional single-issue political entrepreneurship: The impact of education and attitudinal predictors on support for the Finns Party

This study explores support for the populist far-right Finns Party in the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election. In the 2023 election, the Finns Party obtained their largest historical vote share, which led to the party's inclusion in the current coalition government. Utilizing an original, nationally representative survey, we find that Finns Party support can mainly be explained by political entrepreneurship and the attraction of voters holding anti-immigrant sentiment. While we find that other attitudes had some relationship with Finns Party support, the substantive impact of these attitudes is far less substantial than are attitudes towards immigrants. Further, we find that the impact of attitudes towards immigrants and Finns Party vote choice intention is conditional on education level. Attitudes towards immigrants have a more limited impact on Finns Party support for respondents at higher education levels when compared with those at lower levels. The findings hold significance for the broader literature on populist parties, demonstrating that education can significantly diminish the translation of anti-immigration attitudes into support for far-right parties.

“Do immigrants cause higher crime rates?” A cumulative cross-sectional general social survey data analysis

While empirical research in the United States has largely debunked the longstanding stereotypical image of immigrants as criminals, Americans have held onto their prejudices against immigrants. Anti-immigrant sentiments and Americans’ support for restrictive and punitive immigration laws and policies have frequently been triggered by political and media rhetoric. Politicians often sensationalize the unfounded claim that immigrants, especially the undocumented, cause higher crime rates. Given the persistent nature of these beliefs and the negative consequences on immigrant communities, researchers have examined factors that predict anti-immigrant sentiments in the U.S. Many of these studies have utilized the General Social Survey (GSS), cross-sectional datasets, broadly examining anti-immigrant attitudes of Americans and their support for restrictive policies and vice versa. These studies highlight political affiliation, race, sex, age, education, socio-economic status and cultural concerns as predictors of these beliefs. However, not many studies utilized cumulative cross-sectional data to grasp the nuanced nature of these beliefs and their consequences over the years. In addition, the GSS variable measuring the immigration and crime nexus was worded differently and contained fewer response categories in the year 2000 compared to other years. This may have implications for data outcomes. Thus, the current paper analyzed cumulative cross-sectional GSS datasets, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2014, and 2022, that had the variable, “Immigrants cause higher crime rates,” as a dependent variable, in association with predictor variables highlighted by previous studies. This article explains the notable differences in those who believed that immigrants cause higher crime rates in 2000 compared to other years. The current analysis enhances previous cross-sectional studies by showing the nuanced nature of the predictors in the backdrop of changing political climate every year. It supports previous studies in emphasizing the importance of respondents’ political affiliation, race and education as predictors. The article also brings attention to possible limitations arising from differences in response categories and other GSS data issues.

Restrictive immigration policies and MNE innovation

AbstractHigh-skill migrant workers significantly contribute to advanced economies by directly generating knowledge-intensive assets and serving as bridges to knowledge in their origin countries. However, rising populist sentiment has led to increased immigration restrictions in wealthy economies like the U.S. and the Europe Union. This study examines the impact of the 2004 H-1B visa cap reduction on U.S.-based multinational enterprises (MNEs). We use a sample of 371,856 patents assigned to 707 U.S.-based MNEs. We find that post-shock, MNEs increased the geographic dispersion of their global R&D workforce, rather than replacing foreigners with local American workers. Despite this, the firms experienced a decline in innovation performance, likely due to elevated coordination challenges. Interestingly, sectors relying more on codified knowledge demonstrated increased R&D team dispersion with less impact on innovation. This suggests that the geographic proximity of innovation teams is crucial for tacit knowledge-intensive sectors. These findings highlight the complex consequences of immigration restrictions and suggest boundary conditions on the effectiveness of work-from-anywhere models in knowledge-intensive industries.

Trends in Contacts Made by Immigrants to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Immigrants in the United States are more likely than nonimmigrants to experience risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and problems in getting support. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent incidents of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment may have exacerbated exposure to IPV risk factors. We examined immigrant experiences of IPV before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified changes in characteristics of abuse, services used, referrals, and barriers to services among those who contacted the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) and identified as immigrants, reported immigration status as a concern, needed immigration support, and/or identified immigration status as a barrier to accessing services (N = 49 817). We used joinpoint regressions to examine whether the rate of change differed significantly from 2016-2019 (before the pandemic) to 2019-2021 (during the pandemic). The number of immigrant contacts to NDVH peaked in 2017 (n = 9333) and declined 25% to 6946 in 2021. During 2016-2019, the percentage of contacts reporting the following increased significantly: technology-facilitated violence (+12.7 percentage points), economic/financial abuse (+10.8 percentage points), and involvement of firearms (+4.8 percentage points); during 2019-2021, these trends reversed. The percentage of contacts reporting separation or divorce was relatively flat until 2019 and then increased from 14.6% in 2019 to 19.9% in 2021 (+5.2 percentage points). Housing instability increased during 2017-2020 (+9.3 percentage points), but requests for shelters decreased (-4.5 percentage points). Immigration status and personal finances were commonly reported barriers to services; both decreased during 2016-2019 but then increased during 2019-2021. This study can inform prevention and response strategies relevant for immigrants experiencing or reporting IPV.

Cutting in line ahead of us: the role of group relative deprivation in shaping gatekeeping attitudes across different immigrant integration contexts in Europe

ABSTRACT Although research shows that anti-immigrant sentiments are generally lower in liberal integration policy contexts, popular backlash against immigrants become salient in many pro-immigration and inclusive integration policy contexts in Europe today. Developing a contextualized mediation model, this research suggests that feelings of deprivation vis-à-vis immigrants influence attitudes toward selective immigrant admission in Europe. From a cross-country analysis of the 2014–2015 European Social Survey through multigroup structural equation modeling, our findings reveal that sentiments of group relative deprivation translate into stronger gatekeeping attitudes throughout Europe by developing threat perceptions from immigration. Relative deprivation-driven threat perceptions influence gatekeeping attitudes more potently in countries where integration policies grant immigrants more comprehensive and equal rights, while they remain relatively dormant in countries with exclusionary integration policies. These findings contribute to our understanding of how and to what extent relative deprivation sentiments vis-à-vis immigrants shape gatekeeping attitudes while shedding light on the unintended impacts of liberal integration policies on public opinion regarding immigration.

Doing Family Before the State. Does Recognition of De Facto Families Lead to More Inclusive Migration Law Practices?

Abstract Critical scholars have long called for state recognition of de facto families, beyond legal or biological ties, as a pathway toward inclusion of more diverse family forms. This article asks to what extent recognition of de facto families indeed leads to more inclusion, in the context of a restrictive immigration regime in which families need state permission to live together. It zooms in on migration law practice in the Netherlands, through an analysis of laws and regulations, work instructions of street-level implementers, and interviews with migration lawyers. It finds that conceptions of family-as-doing which focus on practices of dependency and care play a small but significant role in Dutch migration law, enabling inclusion of families beyond the nuclear model. However, recognition of de facto families may lead to new forms of state scrutiny of intimate lives, as well as to new forms of exclusion.

Changing the pace of the melting pot: The effects of immigration restrictions on immigrant assimilation

This paper investigates the effects of restrictive immigration policies enacted in the US in 1921 and 1924 to explore the effects of immigration restrictions on recent immigrants using full-count US Census data and variation across national origins in the exclusionary policies. Immigrants more affected by the quotas were more likely to become naturalized citizens. Immigrants from countries that subsequently had migration reduced by the Acts were also more likely to marry someone born in the United States. The evidence in this paper, taken together, shows that the Immigrant Exclusion Act hastened the assimilation of already-landed immigrant men and impacted their short and long-run family outcomes.

Moral panic and (in)security

Abstract This study examines Trump’s depiction of Hispanic and Latinx immigrants, highlighting his use of moral panic to activate fear and thereby deepen societal divisions within a broader right-wing populist agenda. Analyzing nearly half a million words from Trump’s tweets using corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, the research reveals that he portrays Hispanic and Latinx immigrants as the ‘object of offence,’ amplifying their perceived threat while ‘scapegoating’ political adversaries and other nations. As a ‘moral entrepreneur,’ he and his allies position themselves as protectors against this perceived danger, warning of severe ‘consequences’ for national security and the economy if left unaddressed. Their ‘corrective action’ involves implementing strict immigration policies, with the ‘desired outcome’ being enhanced security and economic prosperity. The study demonstrates how the deployment of moral panic generates public fear and insecurity, legitimizing anti-immigrant sentiments and justifying stringent measures. This, in turn, reinforces right-wing populism narratives with significant societal implications.

Cultivating Pacific Cocoa: Chinese Plantation Labor in Colonial Era Samoa and Vanuatu

Abstract From the 1890s to the 1930s the cocoa plantations of the southwest Pacific relied on Pacific Islander and Asian indentured labor from China and Vietnam. In Samoa and the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) white planters lobbied colonial administrations for permission to introduce Chinese under contract as indentured labor, a coercive and controversial labor system. This article points to the role of transimperial economic competition in encouraging the use of indentured labor, traversing German, French, and British colonial administrations in the Pacific. Cocoa cultivation, white planters argued, required more regular attention compared with sugar or copra, and Chinese indentured workers were deemed the most suitable to meet these requirements. Australian, New Zealand and British administrators in the Pacific, who were keenly aware of ongoing French indenture practices, lobbied to introduce and retain indentured labor. Without the perceived competitive edge of indentured labor, cocoa cultivation was considered unlikely to prosper. It was not until the mid-1930s that recruitment of Chinese indentured labor ended. It came at a time of international and Chinese calls for abolition of coerced labor but was also driven by anti-immigration and pro-white nationalist sentiments. Even after recruitment ceased, the New Zealand administration in Samoa obliged Chinese workers to remain on the cocoa plantations. While the French did repatriate Chinese recruits, they retained Vietnamese workers. Only after 1945 were indentured workers freed from the obligation to cultivate cocoa, and finally permitted to abandon the plantations.

Geo-Political Rivalry and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment: A Conjoint Experiment in 22 Countries

Introducing an international relations perspective into the literature on anti-immigrant attitudes, we hypothesize that immigrants from rival countries will be shunned and immigrants from allied countries preferred, especially by respondents who identify more strongly with the nation. We fielded a forced-choice conjoint experiment in 22 countries, whereby respondents chose between applicants for permanent resident status with randomized attributes. We identified rival and allied countries of origin for each surveyed country, with one such pair sharing a similar racial and cultural make-up as the majority of respondents, and one pair being more dissimilar. We find that discrimination against immigrants from rival states is so pronounced that it results in a net preference for racially and culturally dissimilar immigrants. Since we fielded the surveys amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are able to leverage exogenous changes in the intensity of one rivalry, providing further evidence for the proposed mechanism.

Migration-related trauma and PTSD among Latinx parents in the southeast during COVID-19.

Latinx immigrants are at risk for migration-related trauma that can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Among parents in immigrant families with undocumented family member(s) (i.e., mixed-status), risk for PTSD may be exacerbated by policies that threaten family separation and exclude immigrants from systems of support. Understanding these relationships in context is important to equip practitioners to address traumatic stress in this population. Our community-based participatory research (CBPR), mixed-methods study explored migration-related trauma and PTSD among Latinx immigrant parents in a restrictive immigration climate during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted 145 surveys with Latinx parents in mixed-status families and conducted multivariable linear analyses to test if immigration policy vulnerability strengthened the relationship between migration-related trauma and PTSD symptoms. Then, we conducted 15 interviews with frontline workers serving Latinx immigrant families to contextualize the relationships between migration-related trauma, immigration-related policies, and PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parent surveys revealed was no observed relationship between premigration-related trauma and PTSD symptoms (β = 0.12, p = .15). However, increases in policy vulnerability was associated with PTSD symptoms (β = 0.25, p < .01) and strengthened the relationship between postmigration trauma and PTSD symptoms (β = 0.19, p = .03). Frontline workers described how social isolation due to immigration-related policies worsened under the COVID-19 pandemic and deportation fears remained a constant stressor. Results from our CBPR study highlight the need for policies and practices that address compounding effects of migration-related trauma, policy vulnerability, and the COVID-19 pandemic to promote mental health equity among Latinx immigrant families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Ethnic Diversity and Residential Segregation in Shaping Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and Support for Brexit

This article explores the relationship between ethnic structure of local areas, anti-immigrant sentiment and Brexit vote among White British in England. We focus on two indicators of ethnic structure: ethnic minority outgroup share and minority–majority segregation. Our findings suggest that local minority share plays a key role in shaping anti-immigrant sentiment and Brexit support. However, how it affects these outcomes is conditional on levels of local residential segregation. It is only residents living in high minority share areas that are residentially segregated who report higher anti-immigrant sentiment and Brexit support. In fact, living in high minority share areas that are residentially integrated appears to improve attitudes and reduce Brexit support.