Refugees In The United States Research Articles

Abstract MP42: Insomnia Symptoms Are Associated With Poor Cardiometabolic Health Among Bhutanese Refugees in the United States

Introduction: The prevalence of insomnia symptoms is higher among refugees globally compared to the general population, and poor sleep is a risk factor for poor cardiometabolic health. The resettled Bhutanese refugee community is the third-largest refugee group in the United States (US) and appears to be-based on a few existing studies-particularly susceptible to sleep disturbances such as insomnia symptoms as well as cardiometabolic conditions such as hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. No prior studies have investigated associations between insomnia symptoms and cardiometabolic conditions in this community. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that participants reporting insomnia symptoms will have a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic conditions. Methods: We used data from the 2021-2022 Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio Health Study (N=495) to examine associations between insomnia symptoms and cardiometabolic health. Insomnia symptoms, measured by self-reports of difficulty falling/staying asleep, were categorized as “not at all,” “sometimes,” and “often/all the time.” A cardiometabolic condition was based on self-reported medical diagnosis/treatment of one or more of the following conditions: hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cardiometabolic conditions among participants with insomnia symptoms compared to participants without insomnia symptoms while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and body mass index (using criteria for Asians). Results: The sample was mainly aged between 18-44 years (69.8%), 51% were male, and most lived in the US for ≥11 years (60.2%). Insomnia symptoms prevalence was 56.4% for “not at all”, 30.7% for “sometimes,” and 12.9% for “often/all the time.” Overall, 12.9% of participants had at least 1 cardiometabolic condition, 10.8% had at least 2 conditions, and 6.3% had all 3 conditions. Compared to not having insomnia symptoms, having insomnia symptoms sometimes was associated with a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes [PR=2.15, 95%CI: 1.19-3.87], hypertension [PR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.24-2.79], dyslipidemia [PR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.01-2.96], and 1 or more cardiometabolic conditions [PR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.20-2.32]. Similarly, compared to not having insomnia symptoms, having insomnia symptoms often/all the time was associated with a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes [PR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.04-4.54], hypertension [PR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.06-2.74], dyslipidemia [PR=3.03, 95%CI: 1.67-5.47], and 1 or more cardiometabolic conditions [PR=1.68, 95%CI: 1.15-2.47]. Conclusions: In conclusion, the burden of both insomnia symptoms and cardiometabolic health conditions were prevalent among the US Bhutanese refugee population, and the insomnia-cardiometabolic health associations were strong.

Violencia incesante: dos estudios de caso de migrantes por desplazamiento forzado hacia Estados Unidos

The persistent violence in Mexico continues to cause forced migration, forcing people to leave their communities to protect their physical integrity by resorting to requesting political asylum in the United States. This study describes the experience of people entering the United States through political asylum in two different time periods. For this purpose, a qualitative investigation was carried out, which included in-depth interviews with two people who were forcibly displaced in the state of Michoacán in 2014 and 2021. Among the main findings, the violence that continues in the State, caused by criminal organizations and the continuity of violence and the procedures for entering the United States seeking political asylum, which remain, painfully, very similar over the years.

PRODUCING “ILLEGALITY”: THE RACIALIZATION OF MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT As record numbers of Mexican and Central Americans arrive at the US-Mexico border, they encounter an asylum system that has evolved to exclude them. After detailing the specific legal changes that racialize these nationalities through criminalization, this study uses asylum data to illustrate how the current structure of the asylum process produces illegality for Mexican and Central Americans seeking protection in the US. We draw on asylum data outcomes for the largest groups filing defensive asylum claims to halt their deportation over the past decade to emphasize the impact of changing laws and the divergent impact of the implementation of those laws on Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, Salvadoran, Chinese, and Indian asylum seekers. While Chinese and Indian nationals have relatively high rates of success obtaining asylum, their Mexican and Central American counterparts are consistently denied asylum, partially as a result of their criminalization in the US asylum system.

Price of Mobility

This research paper explores the origins of the border industrial complex, current American policies supported by private corporations regarding border infrastructure, and the impact of these policies on Central American asylum seekers. My investigation draws from critical border studies literature on the existence of borders as political tools as opposed to ‘neutral lines’ demarcating sovereignty, interrogating how border policies fuel the neoliberal economy. Given this background, I examine the commercialization of human mobility using border policies at the U.S.-Mexico border as a case study. The question at the core of my investigation is: to what extent does corporate investment in U.S-Mexico border militarization obstruct protection for Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States? In response, I argue that the issue of corporate involvement in U.S. border policy is important to examine because of how it impedes the implementation of progressive immigration policy by centering the border security market, and decentering human rights. More specifically, I contend that border violence as funded by corporate investment in state bordering becomes a way of maintaining racial hierarchy through movement and citizenship restrictions against racialized migrants from the Global South.

Hiding and Seeking: The Educational and Socioemotional Needs of Asylum Seeker and Refugee Students

ABSTRACT Focusing on asylum seeker and refugee students attending a school with the stated mission to cater to recent immigrants, asylees, and refugees in Texas, we explored the school experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee middle schoolers and how they see their education. Having obtained political asylum in the United States, they are hiding from strife in their native lands, but also seeking a schooling experience that will nurture their dreams. We explored that seeking by having students envision their ideal classrooms with a group drawing exercise and then discuss these visions, the experiences that shaped them, and how their current schooling experience compares to their ideal in in-depth interviews. Complementary school data were collected. By focusing on asylum seeker and refugee students, we sought to eschew assimilationist ideologies and to highlight the diversity of experiences and interpretations within this group. We explored the themes found in students’ conceptualizations of their ideals, including the high aspirations students hold, their comparative outlook on education processes, the centrality of relationships to student success, and the conflicted identities students have to negotiate daily.

The Imagined Threat of an Inherently Vulnerable Population: The Securitization of Refugees in the United States

The Imagined Threat of an Inherently Vulnerable Population: The Securitization of Refugees in the United States

Germany on Their Minds: German Jewish Refugees in the United States and Their Relationships with Germany, 1938–1988

Germany on Their Minds: German Jewish Refugees in the United States and Their Relationships with Germany, 1938–1988

Puppetry to educate social work practitioners: Telling the refugee story

Summary The complexities of refugee resettlement are difficult to comprehend, and alternative approaches to education may enhance empathy. Puppetry's art form often engages broad audiences, allowing puppets to tell important stories. This project developed a research-based educational puppet show to increase understanding of refugees in the United States (US). Using a mixed-method approach, this exploratory study (1) interviewed eleven refugees from five origin countries; (2) analyzed the interviews for salient themes; (3) developed a “master” play based on emergent themes; (4) delivered the play through puppetry; and (5) empirically assessed the efficacy of puppetry in disseminating information about refugees. Findings Five overarching themes regarding refugee resettlement emerged from the interviews, namely, (1) economic concerns; (2) language barriers; (3) socio-cultural differences; (4) misperceptions; and (5) altered family dynamics. Almost all 107 respondents who completed a pre- and post-show survey evidenced having gained new knowledge about resettlement in the areas of (i) refugee status; (ii) the arrival process; (iii) economic realities; (iii) adaptation issues; and (iv) refugee perceptions of opportunities in the US. Applications The salient findings of the interviews were consistent with extant literature on refugee resettlement and the 40-min research-based puppet show confirmed that puppetry can be an alternative, or supplementary, training tool. Puppetry brings life to didactic presentations for social workers and other service providers through effective portrayals of difficulties faced by both refugee and host in the adaptation process. It also suggests that puppetry can sensitize and educate practitioners on issues that can be controversial.

An Exploration of the Lived Experiences and Psychological States of Migrants and Refugees

UNHCR reports that about 82.4 million individuals were forcibly displaced as they attempted to avoid persecution, conflict, or human rights violations in their home countries. In addition to traumatic experiences, refugees encounter stressors such as low income, reduced social support, and language barriers. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of pre-migration trauma and political detainment on mental health outcomes and living conditions. A total of eight interviewees participated in video conferencing interviews. A non-probability convenience sampling using the snowballing technique was utilized to identify participants. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach for thematic analysis. The software Dedoose was used to come up with codes and the research team refined the codes into distinct themes. Four themes emerged from data analysis: extrinsic barriers, symptoms of psychological distress, coping and help-seeking behaviors, and interpersonal relationships. Results of the study show the intensity and difficulty of experiences faced by participants and the toll it takes on their mental state and family life. The results highlight a lack of resources available to refugees in the United States and a suggestion to further the research efforts for this understudied population.

“People are still living with pains of the war”: An assessment of long-term adjustment and consequences of war-related traumatic stress among Liberian refugees

A dearth of empirical research examines the adjustment and wellbeing of long-term refugees in the United States and globally. The goal of this hermeneutic phenomenological needs assessment study was to examine stakeholders’ perceptions of individual, relational, and community-level adjustment in one of the largest Liberian refugee communities in the U.S. Twenty 60–90-minute key informant interviews were conducted and analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenology coding protocols. Six themes emerged in key informants’ perceptions of long-term adjustment and wellbeing among war-affected Liberian refugees: 1) unresolved traumatic stress, 2) substance use, 3) mental health stigma, 4) adverse relational effects, 5) disrupted community dynamics, and 6) lack of access to culturally relevant services. This study expands on refugee and global mental health research by empirically documenting adjustment experiences in a long-term and underrepresented refugee community, which can inform prevention and intervention efforts with communities displaced from war. Clinical, research, and policy implications are also described alongside efforts to enhance support for refugees across their adjustment phases. (162 words)

Predictors of Chronic Debilitating Conditions Among Refugees Resettled in the United States

Refugees who have resettled in the United States encounter numerous challenges, including poor health conditions. However, knowledge of risk factors contributing to chronic debilitating conditions among refugees is scarce. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence and potential factors associated with chronic debilitating conditions within the U.S. refugee population. This study utilized secondary data from the 2019 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) involving 1007 refugees aged 16 years or older resettled in the U.S. between 2014 and 2018. The prevalence estimates were obtained using chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression was used to determine the significant association between predictor variables and chronic debilitating conditions for refugees in the United States. About 25.5% of the refugees reported having chronic debilitating conditions. Regression results showed that being an older refugee and having adjusted immigration status to become a permanent resident was associated with higher odds of reporting chronic debilitating conditions. However, refugees who were currently working, married, and with good English language proficiency were associated with a lower likelihood of reporting chronic debilitating conditions. Gender and education levels of refugees were not significantly associated with chronic debilitating conditions after covariates adjustments. Interventions should focus on increasing access to education, employment opportunities to enhance health literacy, and financial resources to access healthcare crucial for mitigating chronic debilitating conditions. In addition, addressing the language barriers through language and interpretation services in clinical settings can also improve healthcare access, thus reducing the risk of chronic debilitating conditions among refugees resettled in the United States. Keywords: Chronic debilitating conditions, English proficiency, Immigration, Refugees, United States.

Self-reported Disability Among Recently Resettled Refugees in the United States: Results from the National Annual Survey of Refugees.

The prevalence rates and correlates of mental or physical disability among recently resettled refugees, who undergo strenuous journeys before arriving in the US, remain unknown, masking potential health disparities. Self-reported disability was measured by the 2018 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR), and defined as having a physical, mental, or other health condition for more than 6 months that precluded one from working. Prevalence rates of self-reported disability and sample correlates were investigated using descriptive and logistic regression analyses. Of N = 4259 participating refugees in ASR (Mean Age = 28.2, SD = 17.2; 52.5% male), 2875 responded to the disability question and 21.4% reported disability. About 33.7% were born in the Middle East region, 29.5% had no formal education, and 35% had an income of less than $15,000. Age (OR = 1.06, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.06,1.07], p < 0.001), region of birth (OR = 1.82, 95% CI [1.31, 2.51], p < 0.001), employment status (OR = 3.31, 95% CI [2.67, 4.11], p < 0.001), and receiving food stamps (OR = 2.09, 95% CI [1.66, 2.62], p < 0.001) were associated with self-reported disability. Disability levels among refugees recently resettled in the United States are comparable to national disability rates in the US. Our results suggest that multiple aspects of the refugee experience (i.e., demographics, socioeconomic status, contextual migration history) need to be considered to understand the risk for health outcomes. Future investigations of disabilities in diverse refugee populations over time and tailored public health interventions to mitigate potential risk factors are warranted to promote health equity.

The Time Politics of Refugee Resettlement and Higher Education in the United States

This paper sheds light on experiences within systems of US resettlement and its structures of (un)welcome. There is considerable evidence that the policy framework of these systems complicates the possibilities of higher education for refugees. Drawing on interviews with residents with a refugee background and resettlement service providers, we explore how US refugee resettlement policy creates obstacles for refugees in pursuing higher education and professional work by imposing a particular regimentation of time on refugees’ lives that impels them to rapidly integrate into low-income employment markets. We argue that such a time politics of speed hastens the resettlement process to advance the goal that residents with refugee background obtain rapid economic self-sufficiency and discuss the policy implications.

“The Caravan of Death”: Women, Refugee Camps, and Family Separations in the US–Mexico Borderlands, 1910–1920

Abstract: This article examines how Mexican border women negotiated war and family separations and gives new insights into the lives of women, families, and children who escaped the violence of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920). As hundreds of thousands of Mexicans began crossing the border to the United States during the evolution, thousands of them, especially women and children, were detained and interned in refugee camps along the US–Mexico borderlands. This article examines the role of the US military in detention centers and argues that Anglo-American ideologies of race and gender shaped assumptions about Mexican women during the revolution that increasingly prevented Mexican women and children from seeking asylum in the United States.

Precarious protections: Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States. By Chiara Galli. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023. 296 pp. $29.95 paperback

<i>Precarious protections: Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States</i>. By Chiara Galli. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023. 296 pp. $29.95 paperback

Credible Fears: The Asylum Narrative as Form in Lost Children Archive

Abstract: The first step toward winning asylum in the United States is the Credible Fear Interview (CFI), in which the applicant narrates their life in a way that conforms with legal expectations of “credibility.” This interview process appears in several recent literary works, most notably Valeria Luiselli’s nonfiction work, Tell Me How It Ends . However, the narrative situation of the CFI, this moment of high-stakes, transactional storytelling, also provides a way of interpreting recent migration literature and understanding how such works perform credibility for the reader. By analyzing the interplay of legal and literary narratives in Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive , this article positions the CFI as the primal scene of narration for recent migration fiction.

The Perceived Challenges of Resettlement among Syrian Refugees in the United States

This qualitative case study examines the resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees through semi-structured interviews with eighteen Syrian refugees living in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Resettlement experiences reveal challenges to refugees’ long-term integration, address the limitation in state policy practices, and provide insight to meet refugees’ needs. Findings indicate that Syrian refugees’ resettlement generates serious obstacles to their integration, including uninhabitable homes, unsafe neighborhoods, job insecurity and economic instability, lack of language proficiency, and social isolation. The findings also show that the resettlement policies and programs aimed to promote refugees’ self-sufficiency are not compatible with their self- identified needs of Syrian refugees. However, state and local resettlement agencies collaboration with refugees may ease refugees’ transition. Future research may explore the experiences of Syrian refugees who settle in other regions of United States to determine if their experiences differ based on location. Identifying the impact of contextual factors on the resettlement experiences of refugees can help us develop programs and policies that address the subjective needs of both Syrian and other refugee populations.

Abstract 16702: Associations Between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices and Blood Pressure Control Among Iraqi and Syrian Refugees in the United States

Introduction: Displacement due to war or persecution has resulted in an unprecedented refugee crisis. Refugees face increased cardiovascular disease risk and poor blood pressure (BP) control. Yet, insights into their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) influencing BP management are limited. Objective: To examine associations between KAP and BP control among Iraqi and Syrian refugees resettled in the United States. Method: Refugees from Iraq and Syria diagnosed with hypertension were recruited using a patient list at a federally qualified health center in San Diego. They completed a KAP survey and measured home BP (HMBP) using digital cuffs for at least 3 days/week for 4 weeks. Scores were computed for each KAP sub-scale; knowledge (0-16), attitude (1-20), and practice (1-8). Scores were categorized into quartiles (poor-excellent). The outcome was BP control calculated from an average of HMBP readings over 3 days for 4 weeks. Mixed effect logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between each KAP quartile and BP control (&lt;130/80 mmHg). Results: Final analysis included 95 refugees (79% Iraqis, 21% Syrians). Participants were male (56%), with mean age 58.4 (±16.34) years, 86% unemployed, 22% had at least a Bachelor's degree, 66% had limited English proficiency and only 3.6% had annual income ≥$35,000. The mean scores were as follows: BP 129/79 mmHg, with 61% having uncontrolled BP, knowledge 13.2 (± 2.37), attitude 14.6 (± 2.38), and practice 6.5 (± 1.17). Higher knowledge correlated with higher odds of BP control (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 1.89,95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.39 - 2.55). Those who had fair and good attitude had lower odds of BP control (aOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.52 0.77; OR: 0.58, CI: 0.45 - 0.75) respectively (Table). Conclusion: Findings suggest poorer BP knowledge correlates with BP control in Syrian and Iraqi refugees who are receiving BP care. Tailored health interventions for refugees are needed to promote cardiovascular health equity.

The role of culture in the social integration of Vietnamese refugees in the United States (1975-2000): An oral history analysis

Culture plays an important role in shaping the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences of refugees as they navigate decisions and actions in a new society. Based on an analysis of 88 oral history interviews conducted by the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation (VAHF) with Vietnamese refugees in the US after the war, this paper examines the relationship between culture and social integration, particularly the cultural values that Vietnamese refugees have chosen and promoted to help them adapt quickly and successfully in the new society. Using a thematic analysis method, cultural values such as self-effort, a studious tradition, sacrifice, and intergenerational responsibility help Vietnamese refugees improve their socio-economic status after a period of settlement in the U.S. The stories specifically illustrate how Vietnamese people have applied cultural values to social integration strategies, establishing connections between culture and economic opportunities within the socio-economic conditions of the United States.

US Asylum Lawyering and Temporal Violence

Research on the temporal dimensions of international migration focuses on how migrants experience time. This study instead turns attention to public interest lawyers, whose work plays a crucial role in ensuring favorable legal outcomes for immigrants, in order to consider time’s salience within the US asylum context. Based on twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork with Los Angeles-based public interest asylum attorneys, this article argues that lawyers confront both weaponized efficiency and weaponized inefficiency in the course of representing asylum seekers. Advocates must rush to keep pace, on the one hand, as various state actors accelerate asylum processes and, on the other, find ways to advance clients’ interests even as state agencies selectively slow procedures to a standstill. These findings affirm that temporal contradictions define the US asylum system. Further, they demonstrate that lawyers experience these contradictions not as natural phenomena but, rather, as temporal violence: in a range of contexts, government action mobilizes time—whether actively or passively—in the service of migration control.