NYC Gazette

Politicians worldwide are increasingly leveraging anti-immigrant sentiment to secure support and votes, a trend particularly evident as the US presidential election nears. While political rhetoric that stereotypes and scapegoats immigrants is well-documented, less attention has been given to its impact on immigrants themselves. An article published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and a recently released book, "Migration Stigma" (MIT Press), identify “migration stigma” as a pervasive force linking responses to immigration—such as prejudice and politics—to immigrant health.

“This concept of ‘migration stigma’ for the first time pulls together phenomena like the politicization of immigration and goes beyond how the native born think of immigrants to consider how it influences physical and mental health,” said Lawrence Yang, professor and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NYU School of Global Public Health, first author of the JAMA article, and lead editor of "Migration Stigma."

The JAMA article details how being labeled as a migrant can trigger negative consequences: stereotyping, separation or “othering,” discrimination, and loss of social status. In power dynamics contexts, these factors result in stigma. Stigma can harm both physical and mental health. Structural stigma occurs when groups face differential treatment by laws or policies based on their status, affecting access to education, housing, healthcare, and jobs—key social determinants of health.

Less obvious forms include internalized stigma where immigrants aware of negative political environments may feel shame or internalize harmful beliefs. This increases stress leading to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, or exacerbating PTSD among migrants who endured traumatic journeys. Internalized stigma coupled with fear of deportation may deter immigrants from seeking medical attention or services crucial for improving health and life opportunities.

“New immigrants who are aware that the US is not the most hospitable place right now may respond to this negative environment by inadvertently avoiding opportunities to maintain their health,” said Yang.

Yang emphasized that addressing migration stigma offers an opportunity to break cycles of harmful policies and rhetoric that hurt immigrant health. Interventions could introduce new narratives to change labels or address stereotyping while encouraging policymakers to enact anti-discrimination laws preserving access to healthcare and education.

Health professionals can avoid stigmatizing migrant patients by recognizing that health stems from social, political, and economic structures.

The concept emerged from an international forum convened by the Ernst Strüngmann Foundation bringing together scholars in stigma and migration fields. “Although both fields examine causes and consequences of prejudice and discrimination until recently there was little formal collaboration between stigma and migration scholars,” said Yang.

Future research areas include examining impacts on different life domains whether labels extend beyond migrants themselves affecting other generations or associated racial/ethnic groups long-term health consequences.

“By examining how seemingly disparate phenomena like anti-immigrant politics relate individuals’ health we enhance possibilities researchers clinicians understand ideally intervene promote public health,” authors write in JAMA.

The JAMA article was co-authored by Bruce Link (UC Riverside/Columbia Mailman School Public Health) Maureen Eger (Umeå University/Center Right-Wing Studies UC Berkeley). Eger Link also co-editors book.