How to Come Out of Stress Associated with Immigration?

Immigration brings along lots of moments to cheer-the cheer to explore an extremely new culture, different landscapes and variant people. You pass several sleepless nights dreaming about that newness in the upcoming days.

But, what if your dreams of immigration turn turtle?

It has happened in America, for example, on April 6, 2018. The Attorney General Jeff Sessions enforced ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ to cease the footfall of illicit immigrants. He said, “The situation at our Southwest Border is unacceptable. Congress has failed to pass effective legislation that serves the national interest—that closes dangerous loopholes and fully funds a wall along our southern border. As a result, a crisis has erupted at our Southwest Border that necessitates an escalated effort to prosecute those who choose to illegally cross our border.”

Despite being good, his policy has split many families and hearts. It was easy to say, difficult to implement, but far from healing its psychological effects. Nearly 3000 children were bereaved. However, most of them reunited with their families next year. But, stress and trauma had scarred their psychology for the rest of their lives.

Let’s get through the stress signals associated with immigration.  

1. Child’s Psychology Changes Forever: The immature brain of the kid doesn’t know how to master the art of conquering stress. An uncertain separation from their parents pushes him into anxiety, sleep disorder, PTSD, depression and loss of appetite. Possibly, the detention and unfriendly environment char his instinct. Consequently, he loses his sleep and appetite. Moreover, the thought of committing suicide captivated him. Muteness takes the place of his talkative tongue.  

For sure, reunion with his father and mother can heal the dents on his psychology. But, the stress leaves its mark. Therefore, the administration should opt for non-detention based practices. Steve Lee, a professor of psychology at the University of California Los Angeles and president of the Society of Clinical Childhood and Adolescent Psychology, has suggested for adequate living conditions, like counseling facility, educational prospects, language resources and contact with families, support systems in place.

2. Habits show irreparable scars:  Changing someone’s nature is like an uphill climb. But, a sudden imprisonment for a trivial inoffensive mistake of having no certificate of bachelorhood (CENOMAR), let’s say, can disassociate anyone from happiness. His nature changes gradually. The person becomes withdrawn. He/she loves being alone to hide his guilt.  Life seems like a burden. At that time, the stress piles up the feeling of self-destruction. 

According to Castillo, the clinical psychologist, “The depression and the anxiety makes them cut [so] they feel a release.”

Mercado, the psychologist advocated for keeping a migrant with his family during detention. It should be as if the immigrant is on parole. The psychologist said, “Knowing that, the humane thing to do is to keep the families together, not apart. Keep the families in adequate living conditions, with no fences, no cage-like environment, and provide adequate professional support.”

3. Parental Trauma: Parents are the skeletal system of the family. Their role is to secure and comfort their children. But, this role gets disturbed. Many psychologists, like Muñiz, share the fact that a constant state of tension and anxiety due to separation, which causes detachment. The feeling of being not there with children creates a vacuum in the core. The worries for their children get dry due to prolonged bereavement. Being interacted with consistent agony, the great love for children goes away. Slowly, asylum seems the only option to keep them happy.

Shannon Guillot-Wright, a community health research fellow and medical humanities doctoral candidate at the University of Texas Medical Branch, uttered over mental health issues and trauma resulting from detention put forth, “It’s not only a more humanitarian way to work with asylum seekers, but it’s actually more economical, because you’re not detaining families in these huge facilities for a long period of time.” 

4. Unending stress: Detention, due to breaching immigration rules, can persist for years. Several thoughts sprint in their mind, as how long I may be imprisoned, what if there is another provision to enforce separation in the future. Such ideas can make abode in the heart. It can paralyze the child’s response to the environment for going forward.

The adults may hardly regulate emotions. Maintaining healthy relationships seems a Herculean task. At the end, the anxiety and depression impair senses. The psychologists help to de-stress by depriving them of the cause and get engaged with tasks that keep them happy.