Florida's immigration crackdown strained migrants, citizens alike, study finds

Official Seal from State of Florida website

One by-product of the talk of the threatened immigration enforcement measures of the Trump administration is incredible fear and psychological trauma among immigrants.  The nation saw the mental health consequences on immigrants of the first Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign.  New evidence supports concerns with the harms caused by immigration enforcement on immigrant communities.

A new study indicates that Florida's SB 1718 has caused psychological distress for U.S. citizens as well as immigrants, reports Yacob Reyes of Axios Tampa Bay. 

For immigrants, fear of being deported and limitations on access to jobs and basic services cause anxiety. The study found that some U.S. citizens reported "increased financial stress since the law passed," and "both noncitizens and U.S. citizens had considered leaving Florida due to the law." 

"Florida has become this smaller-scale experiment of cracking down on undocumented immigrants," said co-author Elizabeth Aranda of the University of South Florida. "As that goes nationwide, come this next administration, this study could foreshadow effects that we might see [across the U.S.]." 

KJ