A sociological look at data from 2011-2018 led the authors of a new paper to cite an increase over time in psychological distress among Latinos, including citizens, in the U.S. They cite changes in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was deemed illegal by the courts, and President Biden threatening to shut the southern border of the U.S. entirely.

The ripple effects are interesting, if they hold up. The authors say that when President Obama declared a temporary halt to deportations of illegal immigrants, it relieved distress among Latino citizens, even though they are not impacted by any of it. This same pattern occurred following the announcement of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) but predictably the Trump presidency triggered anxiety and depressive symptoms among Latino illegal immigrants and those on legal work visas.

The authors believe stress levels rose after DACA was shown to be illegal because of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests to local police. U.S.-born Latinos and those on visas are not susceptible to deportation, but the authors find changes in immigration policy by Presidents Trump and Obama impact the psychological health of legal immigrations and even citizens.



The criticism of the claims is they used Google searches as a proxy for stress related to topics related to deportation and immigration. 

Latinos across all citizenship statuses are responding to this feeling of deportation threat in a negative way, the researchers find. But the exact pathway through which that happens depends on citizenship status.

What surveys and Google search trends will show in the 2024 election are unclear. Though illegal immigration rose sharply, which has been blamed on President Biden, he said he would close the border, and even build walls that was controversial during the Trump administration, waiving 26 federal laws to do so.