Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The United States is experiencing a renewed period of immigration and immigrant policy activity as well as heightened enforcement of such policies. This intensified activity can affect various aspects of immigrant health, including mental health. We use the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2015 Latino National Health and Immigration Survey (n=1,493) to examine the relationship between immigration and immigrant policy and Latino health and well-being. We estimate a series of categorical regression models and find that there are negative health consequences associated with Latinos’ perceptions of living under unfavorable anti-immigration laws, including reporting poor physical health, problems with mental health, and heightened risk of being obese. This paper builds on the work of public health scholars who have found a link between this heightened policy environment and the mental health of immigrants. These findings are relevant to scholars of immigration and health policy as well as policy-makers who should consider these negative effects on the immigrant community during their decision making process.