A study revealed that a majority of Latino and Asian immigrants have experienced unpleasant situations in the workplace and when confronted by law enforcement or immigration authorities; in addition to having problems with access to health care and the use of government benefits.
It is estimated that of the current population of California (almost 40 million inhabitants), the 26% was born elsewhere and emigrated to the United States. Additionally, Latinos and Asians are the largest immigrant groups in the state.
Researchers from two reports, from UCLA and UC Merced, found that 70% of the 2, 000 people surveyed perceived that immigrants experienced discrimination in the workplace and that 65% considered that they could not use government benefits – such as housing assistance, health care, and food programs – as this would prevent them from obtaining legal immigration status in the US.
The UC Merced professor, María-Elena de Trinidad Young said that by doing this research they discover why immigrants in general in California still face many barriers to access health care and are doing worse on many health indicators than Californians born in the United States.
“It is important to understand all the various factors that comprise your health and specifically one area that you have not received so much attention in the past is reviewing how immigration policies shaped the well-being of Latinos and Asians in our state, ”she said.
The teacher explained that two fact sheets were presented. In the first, they analyzed immigrants’ perceptions of how other immigrants are treated in California.
The outstanding finding was that overall, Latino and Asian immigrants in the state of California perceive a level of high discrimination in the workplace, even if they themselves have not yet experienced it as there is a concern or greater awareness that immigrants run the risk of being discriminated against in their workplace.
The other key finding, shown in the second fact sheet, was to analyze the direct experiences that immigrants had with different aspects of the law enforcement and immigration system.
“What we found is that Latinos in general had many encounters with the police or law enforcement officers. So, in general 45% of Latinos knew someone who had been deported, ”Young explained.
He added that the impressive thing was to see that these arrests occurred mostly in certain areas such as in the Central Valley of California.
There a higher proportion of Latino and Asian residents reported having had encounters with the police and immigration agents.
A higher number than places like the Bay Area or Los Angeles, areas that have had stronger sanctuary policies for a while.
Immigrants living in the San Valley Joaquín reported having more direct interactions with immigration officials and law enforcement than those living in the Bay Area and Southern California.
In the Valley, the 17% of residents said they experienced racial profiling by law enforcement, compared to 14% in Southern California and the 12% in the Bay Area.
Young explained that immigration policies have an impact on the kinds of rights and protections immigrants have in the workplace , as well as the treatment in the community in general by different agencies -such as the police.
“The real objective of this study was to look beyond the immediate health behaviors or even the experiences in the health system to think about the community in general and how policies shape the daily lives of immigrants in their workplaces, while driving in the community, and while trying to earn a living, ”he explained.
Professor Young said that in the sheet she wrote about law enforcement, it was noted that California has passed many sanctuary policies at the state level, which are intended to limit immigration law enforcement in the communities, mainly immigrants.
“It’s a good start but we need to do more,” he explained. “There is evidence that immigration enforcement agencies are still collaborating with local sheriff’s departments, for example.”
Young said a lot needs to be done for this reason more to really protect immigrants from immigration authorities.
“Immigration policy is health policy. When we think of all the things that impact the health of Latinos and Asians, we tend to think of healthy behaviors or going to the doctor, but how immigration policies treat immigrants is as important to their health as any other. policy area ”,
stressed, the teacher.