The Impact of Punitive Immigrant Laws on the Health of Latina/o Populations

• Published in: Politics & policy (Statesboro, Ga.) Ga.), 2017-06, Vol.45 (3), p.312-337
• Main Authors: Vargas, Edward D., Sanchez, Gabriel R., Juárez, Melina D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alabama HB 56; Anti‐Immigration Laws; Arizona SB 1070; Citizenship Status; Ethnicity and Race; E‐Verify; Health Disparities; Health Issues; Health Service Providers; Healthcare Policy; Immigration Policy; Interethnic Variation; Latino Populations; Measuring Anti‐Immigrant Legislation; Minority Issues; SB 20; Self‐Reported Health Status; South Carolina Senate Bill 20; State and Local Politics and Policy; United States
• ISSN: 1555-5623; 1747-1346
• DOI: 10.1111/polp.12203

This study examines how anti‐immigrant policies affect the physical health of Latina/os in the United States. Merging two unique datasets: sum of anti‐immigrant policies by state from 2005 to 2011 and a 2011 Robert Wood Johnson Center for Health Policy nationally representative sample of Latina/os (n = 1,200), we estimate a series of logistic regressions to understand how anti‐immigrant legislations are affecting the health of Latina/os. Our modeling approach takes into consideration Latinos’ diverse experience, a context that is widely overlooked in datasets that treat Latina/os as a homogeneous ethnic group. Our findings suggest that an increase in anti‐immigrant laws enacted by a state decreases the probability of respondents reporting optimal health, even when controlling for other relevant factors, such as citizenship status, language of interview, and interethnic variation. The implication and significance of this work has tremendous impacts for scholars, policy makers, health service providers, and applied researchers interested in reducing health disparities among minority populations. Related Articles Sabia, Debra. 2010. “The Anti‐Immigrant Fervor in Georgia: Return of the Nativist or Just Politics as Usual?” Politics & Policy 38 (1): 53‐80. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2009.00228.x/ Turner, Robert C., and William Sharry. 2012. “From Progressive Pioneer to Nativist Crackdown: The Transformation of Immigrant Policy in Oklahoma.” Politics & Policy 40 (6): 983‐1018. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00392.x/ Barnes, Nielan. 2011. “North American Integration? Civil Society and Immigrant Health Policy Convergence.” Politics & Policy 39 (1): 69‐89. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2010.00283.x/full Este estudio examina cómo las políticas anti‐inmigrantes afectan la salud física de la población latina en los Estados Unidos. Fusionando dos conjuntos de datos únicos: la suma de políticas antiinmigrantes por estado desde 2005‐11 y una muestra representativa nacional de 2011 del Robert Wood Johnson para Latinos (n = 1.200), estimamos una serie de regresiones logísticas para entender cómo las legislaciones anti‐inmigrantes están afectando la salud de las latinas(os). Nuestro enfoque de modelaje toma en consideración la diversa experiencia de los latinos, contexto que es ampliamente ignorado en conjuntos de datos que tratan a los latinos como un grupo étnico homogéneo. Nuestros hallazgos