Mechanisms by Which Anti-Immigrant Stigma Exacerbates Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities.

HEALTH equity; IMMIGRATION opponents; PUBLIC opinion on emigration & immigration; RACIAL differences; ETHNIC differences; SOCIAL stigma; UNITED States immigration policy; ATTITUDE (Psychology); IMMIGRATION law; IMMIGRANTS; UNITED States emigration & immigration; DISCRIMINATION (Sociology); ETHNIC groups; PRACTICAL politics; RACE; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; HEALTH & social status

Anti-immigrant rhetoric and political actions gained prominence andpublic support before, during, and after the 2016 presidential election. This anti-immigrant political environment threatens to increase health disparities among undocumented persons, immigrant groups and people of color. I discuss the mechanisms by which anti-immigrant stigma exacerbates racial/ethnic health disparities through increasing multilevel discrimination and stress, deportation and detention, and policies that limit health resources. I argue that the anti-immigrant sociopolitical context is a social determinant of health that affects mostly communities of color, both immigrants and nonimmigrants. Public health has a moral obligation to consider how immigration policy is health policy and to be prepared to respond to worsening health disparities as a result of anti-immigrant racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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