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Dispelling 10 Common Myths About Immigrants and Refugees

By Alexandra Weber, Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer at the International Institute of New England

Public conversations around immigration policy are becoming more heated, politicized, and , dangerously, filled with inaccuracies. Educating ourselves on immigration policy, the immigration process, the level of support refugees and immigrants receive, and how they pay that support back in dividends—and then sharing this information with others—can help crea te a more honest narrative and a warmer welcome for newcomers. Here ’s a breakdown of some common misunderstandings corrected with nonpartisan facts and figures : 

1. Myth: It’s easy to enter and remain in the U.S.  

Reality: The legal immigration process is arduous, complicated, and backlogged — and many of the rules change in response to current events and political considerations.  

• For refugees, the process to come to the U.S. is offered to very few, entails multiple steps, including an extensive vetting process, and often takes years to achieve (see our blog post, “Explainer: The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program” to learn more).  
• For many other immigrants eligible for U.S. entry, the complexity and cost of the application process is intense. Many allowed to enter are given only a temporary opportunity to stay and those hoping for longer-term protection must fight uphill battles to adjust their initial status to a more permanent status that allows them to remain in the country.  
• Once an individual files the application for citizenship, which cannot happen until at least five years after receiving a green card, they often have to wait years more. In 2012, the average processing time from citizenship application to approval was 4.6 months. Today, the wait has tripled in length to 15.5 months.  

2. Myth : I mmigrants are more likely to be criminals.    

Reality: T he opposite is true.  

• Statistically, immigrants residing in the U.S. are less likely to be criminals. A recent study analyzing 150 years of U.S. Census data shows that immigrants have never been incarcerated at a higher rate than U.S.-born individuals. The gap has widened since 1960, and immigrants today are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born citizens.  
• Furthermore, crime rates actually decreased as immigration grew in 200 U.S. cities from 1970 to 2019.  
• While Fentanyl trafficking in the U.S. has been persistently blamed on immigrants , t his claim is false . As recently reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin , “In 2022, U.S. Sentencing Commission data showed that Americans accounted for nearly 90 percent of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers, and 96 percent of fentanyl seizures occurred at official ports of entry, not along migration routes between checkpoints, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports analyzed by the Washington Post .”  

3. Myth: Refugees and i mmigrants receive an unfair level of support from the government and are a drain on the U.S. economy.  

Reality: T he support new arrivals receive is extremely limited. Additionally, most refugees and immigrants enter the U.S. workforce immediately upon becoming eligible and then go on to contribute tremendously to our economy , giving back far more than they ever received .   

• Refugees and persecuted populations receive only basic support on arrival through public programs such as food stamps. Most begin their lives in the U.S. with extremely limited resources. Public support received by these families is temporary and requires participation in the U.S. workforce. Initial support is also repaid many times over as families contribute to the economy and tax base immediately and, if allowed to stay, across a lifetime.  
• Newcomers strengthen our workforce, filling roles in healthcare, STEM, construction, environmental services, and more, and 22% of entrepreneurs nationwide were born outside of the U.S. According to a 2021 report from the American Immigration Council , immigrants in the U.S. have a collective spending power of $1.4 trillion and paid $525 billion in taxes each year.  
• In many New England states, immigrants are the key and often only strategy to combatting a shrinking workforce and community. Our local and national economies depend on immigrants. In fact, according to a recent report from the Migration Policy Institute , “Immigrants and their U.S.-born children accounted for all U.S. civilian labor force growth in the past two decades. ”    

4. Myth: Immigrants take jobs from other Americans .

Reality: This is a falsehood often used to pit vulnerable groups against one another and divert focus from policies that exploit and undervalue workers. It is untrue on many levels .  

• “The Lump of Labor Fallacy” is a term economists use for the misconception that there is only a fixed number of jobs to be had in the U.S., implying that newcomers would need to take or limit opportunities from U.S.-born individuals. As a recent study from the Economic Policy Institute shows : “the idea that immigrants are making things worse for U.S.-born workers is wrong. The reality is that the labor market is absorbing immigrants at a rapid pace, while simultaneously maintaining record-low unemployment for U.S.-born workers.”  
• Far from stealing jobs, immigrants often take on taxing jobs that other Americans are not willing to do. As the Brookings Institution has stated: “ The impact of immigrant labor on the wages of native-born workers is low… However, [immigrant] workers often work the unpleasant, back-breaking jobs that native-born workers are not willing to do.”  
• We currently have more job openings than qualified applicants to fill them both nationwide and in New England, including dangerous labor shortages in healthcare fields.    
• The future of our labor force depends on immigration. As the U.S. birthrate steadily declines, immigrants are vital to growing the labor force. According to a recent report from the Migration Policy Institute , “With U.S. birth rates falling, the immigrant-origin population has been a vital source of growth for the U.S. population in the past two decades. Without immigrants and their U.S.-born children, the prime working-age population (ages 25–54) would have shrunk by more than 8 million people and the population of children and young adults under age 24 would have shrunk by more than 5 million people between 2000 and 2023.”  
• Immigrants who receive the necessary support are also actually more likely to start new businesses , acting as job creators.  

5. Myth: Today’s immigrants don’t want to learn English .     

Reality: Most immigrants are extremely eager to learn English in order to navigate their communities, advocate for themselves and their families , and enter and succeed in the workforce as quickly as possible. Here in New England, every language instruction provider , including IINE, has long waiting lists for our free ESOL classes. Due to budget cuts, providers currently fil l less than 10% of demand for these classes.  

6. Myth: U.S. a sylum policies are causing a crisis . If the U.S. ended or restricted peoples’ rights to enter the U.S. seek ing a safe haven from persecution and violence , we wouldn’t have unmanageable immigration surges .  

Reality: Peopl e seeking freedom from persecution and violence wi ll do whatever they can to reach safety . Attempts to r estrict the ir ability to apply for legal protection , such as Title 42 and “ Remain in Mexico , ” have not stopped or slowed attempt s ; in fact, attempts have grown exponentially during the implementation of these policies, which have done nothing to address the root causes of displacement. Restrictions merely backlog the legal process by millions of cases and remove protections for an extremely vulnerable population , exposing them to further persecution and violence.   

7. Myth: Supposed a sylu m- s eekers are really just coming here for jobs .

Reality: When people attempt to claim asylum, they have to prove that they face persecution or have a credible fear of persecution in their home countries that prevent s them from return ing .    

• Most are fleeing repressive regimes and destabilization that threaten their lives. They make impossibly dangerous journeys to come to the U.S., jeopardizing the safety of their families and themselves—a risk they would never take if there was a better choice. Often arriving with few financial resources and immense language and cultural barriers, they begin their lives in the U.S. facing tremendous challenges.  
• This myth persists in large part because our current immigration legal system is so under-resourced that pending asylum cases stretch into the millions, and once started, can take as long as five years to complete.  
• Asylum is far from guaranteed and the uncertainty surrounding the process can be frightening and destabilizing. This is not a situation one would seek for any reason other than dire necessity.   

8. Myth: Immigrants are being import ed by the Democratic Party to sway election results .

Reality: This harmful conspiracy theory has no basis in fact or logic.    

• It takes many years for immigrants to gain eligibility to vote, and any claims that immigrants have voted who were not eligible to do so have been proven false by voting records .  
• Immigrants are not a homogeneous group, and the idea that future immigration will necessarily favor the Democratic Party falsely assumes that most immigrants vote the same way, or even that most immigrants from the same regions vote the same way, and that their political loyalties are unchangeable. Various claims that immigration has significantly favored the Democratic Party in elections have also been disproven.  
• In many cases, this conspiracy theory is predicated on a false assumption that immigrants simply vote based on immigration policy. Like most American voters, immigrants vote based on a range of issues that affect their quality of life and align with their diverse values.   

9. Myth: Refugees and immigrants bring culture, ideology, or ideas that are harmful to the U.S . 

Reality: I mmigrants most often come to the U.S. becaus e of their affinity for its economic and governing principles , not i n spite of them .  

• Research has shown that most immigrants come seeking safety, freedom, rights, and opportunity for themselves and their families.  
• Overall political views of immigrants to the U.S. do not differ significantly from those of other Americans .  
• Immigrants continue to come to the U.S. seeking a pluralistic society with class mobility—a place where they are free to live, love, believe, and raise their families as they please while participating in the workforce and having a say in governance. They make our communities richer, more diverse, and more vibrant.  

10. Myth: The U.S. prioritizes services for refugees and immigrants more than for its own military veterans.  

Reality: It is counterproductive and illogical to artificially pit these priorities against one another, but if a comparison is called for, the investment is not even close.   

• The U.S. allocated $303.8 billion to the Veterans Administration in 2023, compared to $1.7 billion to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and $913.6 million for the entire U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services department.  

Another variant of this myth is that U.S. values dictate that it should not do anything to help refugees and asylum seekers until it has helped all underserved U.S. Veterans.  

• This ignores the important facts that many veterans are themselves former immigrants and that immigrants have always been important contributors to U.S. military efforts.  
•  It is also counter to one of the key values our military fights to defend—that the U.S. is a defender of freedom and democracy and safe haven from repression and anti-democratic forces.   

Welcoming refugees and immigrants strengthens U.S. c ommunities, our cultural diversity, our economy, our integrity as a defender of freedom, our global standing, and our unique identity as a pluralistic nation. Dispelling myths is an important way to make their pathways easier.   

Thank you for your interest in supporting refugees and immigrants in our community. Learn more about these issues by  subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media .   

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Two years ago, I had an incredible, eye opening experience. I was working with several refugee groups in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over the span of one year I found myself constantly impressed and amazed at their perseverance and strength.

You would think that the struggles faced by refugees would be over once they arrived in the land of the free, right? I certainly did. And so did many of the refugees I worked with. I learned, however, that this is far from the case. Refugees, and immigrants especially, are faced with many barriers once they arrive on our shores.

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Here are just a few:

1. Difficulty speaking and learning English

Let’s be honest- my country, the United States, is not known for being multilingual. So imagine arriving here, unable to speak English. Try getting a job, making friends, or even completing basic tasks like buying food or filling out forms.

To address this, many refugees and immigrants take ESL classes, but finding the time between jobs and caring for kids can be difficult. Especially difficult if you weren’t literate in your native tongue to begin with.

2. Raising children and helping them succeed in school

One of the biggest obstacles refugees and immigrant parents report is raising their children in a new, unfamiliar culture. Parents often find that their children are quickly “Americanized,” which may be at odds with their own culture. Additionally, kids tend to pick up English much faster than their parents. This throws off the parent-child dynamic, and you know that kids, especially teens, are going to use this to their advantage.

With regards to school, parents often feel disappointed to see their children struggling to keep up in class, and many parents report bullying and discrimination as a result of cultural differences. Kids are often placed by their age rather than by their ability, and for those who are unable to speak English, it’s virtually impossible to keep up. To add further insult to injury, parents may not have the education or language skills to assist their children, and they may not be able to communicate with faculty to address the problem.

3. Securing work

While most refugees and immigrants are happy to take whatever job is available when they first enter the country, finding a job, and slowly moving up the ladder, is incredibly difficult. Even if you ignore undocumented immigrants who face additional challenges securing work, trouble speaking English is a major problem in positions you might not expect like labor. Refugees and immigrants who are educated and who formerly had strong jobs back home, find it frustrating that they can’t obtain the same jobs here. Employers typically prefer work experience within the US, and certifications outside of the US usually don’t transfer. That’s why it’s not uncommon for your taxi driver to have formerly worked as an educator or engineer.

Additionally, refugees and immigrants are easy victims for discrimination and exploitation in the workplace. Some employers recognize the sense of urgency and desperation among these groups to keep their jobs, so they will have them take the less desirable and even dangerous roles. Undocumented immigrants, particularly, assume they have no rights, and workers who can’t speak English are easy targets.

4. Securing housing

I don’t have to tell you that safe, affordable housing is expensive. So imagine trying to obtain that with low-paying jobs. For that reason, large families often choose to live together, creating stressful, noisy environments that are hardly conducive to studying or resting.

Again, refugees and immigrants fall victim to exploitation, this time from their landlords. In Utah, for instance, I worked with a group of Karen refugees from Myanmar who were forced to live in apartments known by the landlord to have bedbugs. Once, one of those buggers was spotted, the families would be forced to pay an expensive fee to have them removed, and the landlord would attempt to charge them additional fees or threaten to kick them out. Unable to speak English and unfamiliar with our laws, many of the families complied- even though it was clearly a scam.

5. Accessing services

Undocumented immigrants have an especially difficult time accessing services, largely because they are afraid of being deported. Consequently, people will avoid seeing the doctor or reaching out for services like legal guidance when they’re badly needed.

Those who are here legally aren’t necessarily in the clear, though. Difficulty speaking English, trouble taking off work, and limited transportation (we’ll get to that) are all very real issues.

Accessing mental health issues is especially problematic. Many times, refugees and immigrants have been exposed to violence, rape, even torture- but they may not know how to seek help. Furthermore, mental health issues are taboo in many cultures, creating an additional barrier for those in need.

For those who are able to successfully obtain the services they need, the experience is usually negative. In Utah, I heard stories about law enforcement professionals misunderstanding a victim’s statement due to language barriers, and doctors misdiagnosing sick patients for the same reason.

6. Transportation

Like language barriers, trouble with transportation is an issue that affects nearly every aspect of life for refugees and immigrants.

Obtaining a driver’s license, whether documented or not, is extremely difficult for a variety of reasons. For those who don’t speak English, a translator is needed, and they aren’t easy to come by. Also, the driver must be literate in order to to pass the written exam.

With some luck, families will have one car to share among them, but getting kids to and from school, as well as getting adults to and from work can be challenging. Many times, the men will keep the car, leaving it up to the women to find their own rides from friends or coworkers. As you can imagine, having so many people rely on one car makes it incredibly difficult to fit in additional commitments like ESL classes and medical appointments.

But hey, what about public transportation? While many refugees and immigrants do rely on public transportation to get around, it can be incredibly frightening for some. In Utah, a man I worked with from the International Rescue Committee shared a story about one of his clients. The client was from a very rural town where there were no paved roads or traffic signs. My coworker recognized that because of her limited English, she might need assistance figuring out how to take the bus to reach the IRC for her appointments. He accompanied the woman to and from the IRC for her first appointment, but assumed she would be fine on her own from then on. The next week, he received a call from her, crying and terrified. Because she was not familiar with our roads, she had never learned how to cross the street safely nor how to read the traffic signs. Consequently, several cars honked at her while she illegally crossed the street. She then got on the correct bus, but became confused as to what stop she needed to get off at and was unable to ask. I can only imagine how scary that must have been for her.

7. Cultural barriers

Again, just like transportation and trouble speaking English, cultural barriers transcend each and every aspect of life for refugees and immigrants.

Here’s an example. In Utah, a group of Latter Day Saints were organizing a week long hike for youth in the desert. Some of the organizers thought it might be a nice idea to include some of the refugee youth, as a way in integrate them into the community and help them make friends with some of the local kids. I remember hearing about this and thinking it was such a wonderful idea. But, less than a day into the hike, some of the refugee kids became very upset. The hike, it turned out, had reminded them of the time when they were forced to flee their homes. Now, despite the group’s kindest intentions, these kids were being retraumatized. This just goes to show how easy it is for these kinds of cultural misunderstandings to take place.

In spite of all of these challenges, the people I worked with were incredibly strong and grateful for the opportunity to be in the United States. Most of them had such basic desires: to have their children succeed in school and to be be able to put a roof over their heads. After everything they had already been through, they were doing all that they could to keep their families afloat in this new, scary place.

Curious what you can do? It’s simple! So many refugees and immigrants, particularly undocumented, feel like outsiders, or worse- they feel invisible. So if you come across someone who who can tell is new to the country, start a conversation! I’m guessing he or she will have some amazing stories to share.

To learn more, download this PDF published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Demand Equity

7 of the Biggest Challenges Immigrants and Refugees Face in the US

Dec. 12, 2014

Why accepting refugees is a win-win-win formula

Subscribe to global connection, dany bahar dany bahar nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development.

June 19, 2018

This World Refugees Day, I want to challenge what seems to be the conventional wisdom regarding refugees. Not only are refugees not a burden, rather they are welfare-enhancing assets. Indeed, accepting, protecting, and empowering refugees is a win-win-win formula: for the refugees themselves, for the country of destination, and for the country of origin.

It is a win for the refugees for obvious reasons: The earlier a state commits to protecting refugees, the earlier they can move forward with their lives, without uncertainty blocking the way. Most importantly, accepting them protects the most precious right of all: The right to live. Turning our backs to refugees in many cases could be fatal for them. Thus, accepting refugees—providing the most basic protection—is, in many cases, lifesaving.

Accepting refugees is also a win for the receiving country and the communities that host them. By providing them with the right to work, to health, and to education, refugees can start productive lives in their host countries. The faster they can integrate into the labor force, the faster they can become productive members of society.

Are you worried about all the job opportunities natives could lose to a refugee? Don’t be. Most migration economists agree that the presence of more foreigners in the labor force doesn’t hurt natives, mainly because natives and foreigners typically have a different set of skills and compete for different types of jobs—a fact recently corroborated using data on refugees resettled in the U.S. Moreover, native workers often do better in the presence of more migrants in the labor force because in response to more competition, natives usually specialize in better-paid jobs that migrants cannot always compete in (for instance, jobs that require perfect domain of the local language).

Finally, we know that migrants engage in entrepreneurship at much higher rates than natives . In the U.S., for example, while migrants are 15 percent of the population, they represent 25 percent of entrepreneurs. If you think about it, this should not really come as a surprise. The act of migrating (and even fleeing to further away countries, in the case of refugees) is associated with risk-taking behavior. Thus, migrants are more likely to take risks also in the business sphere, such as creating a new venture. By creating new businesses, migrants also create new jobs for everyone. Small firms, in turn, are the engines of job growth. In the U.S., they create about 1.5 million jobs every year.

Receiving countries can benefit in more ways, too. Refugees could play a fundamental role in fostering international trade and investment . Since they know the business environment quite well, they can mediate between business people in both countries who are willing to invest in the local community and trade with local businesses. Therefore, these refugees can move the needle when it comes to integrating their communities in global markets in robust ways.

What about origin countries? They can also benefit immensely in the medium- to long-term from the resettlement of their citizens as refugees in foreign countries. First, the countries of origin also benefit from the creation of business networks between them and the countries where the refugees were resettled. For developing countries overcoming conflict, the flow of investment could be crucial for recovery. In addition to these business networks, the refugees can play a significant role in transferring technologies and knowledge back home , which translates into more competitive and diversified economies. In ongoing research with several co-authors, we show how, for instance, the nations that emerged from the former Yugoslavia hugely benefited from the knowledge and experience gained by Bosnian, Croat, and Serb refugees who temporarily resettled in Germany during the war of the early 1990s.

More generally, even if a refugee is not a regular migrant (refugees are forced to flee, as opposed to many migrants who choose to do so), the studies have shown that the economic benefits of migration also apply when focusing on refugees. This is because, similarly to migrants—and regardless of the reason that originated their move—they still bring a different set of skills than natives, which can be key to creating business networks and knowledge diffusion.

Naturally, as in any other change that affects the economy (regulation, reforms, external shocks, etc.) integrating refugees into the labor force  might  result in some people being worse-off in the short term, even when the aggregate gains are positive. But that speaks to the need for having proper safety nets in place, and not to rejecting refugees. Overall, if given the right protections and support, refugees can be an asset—not a burden—for all countries involved. Therefore, accepting and protecting refugees is not only morally right, but also the smart thing to do.

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Chapter 1: Immigration and Immigrant Policy: Barriers and Opportunities for Families

Jaime ballard (family social science, university of minnesota), damir utržan (family social science, university of minnesota), veronica deenanath (family social science, university of minnesota), and dung mao (family social science, university of minnesota), introduction.

For Jose and Ester, it was painful to try to raise their two sons in El Salvador. The money they raised in a day was not enough to buy food for one family meal, and gang violence was everywhere. Jose decided to move to the United States to provide for his family. After 7 years, he saved enough to bring his wife to the United States, and they both started working long hours to save the money to bring their sons. They paid a coyote (someone who smuggles people across borders) $10,000, which covered 3 attempts to bring their sons to the United States. The first time, they were caught an hour after crossing in to Mexico and sent home. The second time, they were caught by police in Mexico and held 3 days for ransom, and then continued north after the coyote paid. The boys were caught by immigration officials in Texas. They were held in detention for several days. With the help of an advocacy office, the boys flew to Baltimore to be reunited with their parents.

(Story published by Public Radio International in 2014. Full story available from: http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-18/these-salvadorian-parents-detail-their-sons-harrowing-journey-meet-them-us ).

Migration is most often motivated by a desire to improve life for families. The story of Jose and Ester has common elements with most stories of migration: families must make painful choices about whether moving to a new home and/or being separated from one another is necessary to provide for the family’s well-being. Families often feel “pushed” out of their home country by poor pay or job availability, political instability, or violence. They feel “pulled” to a new country by the promise of better pay to support their families, greater educational opportunities for their children, greater safety for their families, or the opportunity to be together again after a long absence.

Jose and Ester’s story has another common element with all stories of migration: their methods of migration and their opportunities to be reunited were influenced by immigration and immigrant policy. Immigration policy determines who enters the United States and in what numbers, while immigrant policy influences the integration of immigrants who are already in the United States (Fix & Passel, 1994). For Jose and Ester, their sons were not eligible to travel legally across the border due to current immigration policy restrictions and delays. Policy determines whether immigrants have access to employment, to health or educational resources, and to family reunification (Menjívar, 2012). It determines whether they or their family are within the law or outside it (Menjívar, 2012).

Immigration and immigrant policy has a rippling impact on all facets of society, and impacts both immigrants and those born in the United States. At the economic level, the job skills and education of incoming immigrants impacts our labor market and shifts where job growth occurs in our economy. On a social level, we interact with immigrants as neighbors and friends, and as coworkers, employees, and supervisors.

There are many articles, books, and book chapters that discuss the intricacies of immigration and immigrant policy. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the impact of these policies on families. We will describe the different groups invested in immigration and immigrant policy and the various viewpoints on what is most important to incorporate into policy. We will then describe the history of policy, and the current policies affecting families. We end by describing the current barriers and opportunities for families. Chapter 2 will address special policies and issues that apply to refugees specifically.

Immigrant Definitions

Immigrants are people who leave their country of origin to permanently settle in another country. They may enter the country legally and are therefore called documented immigrants or they may enter illegally and are referred to as undocumented immigrants.

Legal or documented immigrants.   For the purposes of this chapter, legal immigrants are defined as individuals who were granted legal residence in the United States. This would include those from other countries who were granted asylum, admitted as refugees, admitted under a set of specific authorized temporary statuses for longer-term residence and work, or granted lawful permanent residence status or citizenship.

Illegal or undocumented immigrants. Illegal or undocumented immigrants are foreign-born non-citizens residing in the country who have not been granted a visa, or were not given access (i.e., inspected) by the Department of State upon entrance  (US Visas, n.d.). They may have entered the country illegally (e.g., crossing the borders), or may have entered the country legally with a valid visa but have stayed beyond the visa’s expiration date. Other terms also used in immigration research include: unauthorized immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and illegal immigrants. However, in this chapter, “undocumented immigrant” will be used to reference illegal and unauthorized immigrants.

Immigrant and Refugee Families, 2nd Ed. Copyright © 2019 by Jaime Ballard, Elizabeth Wieling, Catherine Solheim, and Lekie Dwanyen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Immigration

The Current Migrant Crisis Is a Collective Trauma

I n 2023, unprecedented numbers of Venezuelans migrants crossed the border into the United States. More than 50 thousand Venezuelans crossed the border in September 2023 alone, according to data from U.S Customs and Border Protection, followed by another 85 thousand arrested at the border in October and November. These figures dwarf the 2022 high of nearly 34 thousand in a single month. As a result, in October 2023, President Joe Biden announced that his administration will begin deporting Venezuelans who have illegally come into the country and have “no legal basis to remain.” Since then, the U.S., along with Mexico, has started repatriation flights to ease tensions at the Southern Border, thus creating even more chaos with the Venezuelan refugee population.

Immigration has always been a polarizing and fragmenting topic, especially when we talk about illegal crossings, eliciting such questions as “What would cause a mother to send her children across the border alone?” and “Why would immigrants risk rape, death, arrests, and the possibility of deportation to escape their homeland?” 

The fact is, the Venezuelan people have been suffering individual and collective trauma for decades, enduring years of oppression, poverty, violence, and colonization. According to the Department of Homeland Security , “Venezuela continues to face a severe humanitarian emergency due to a political and economic crisis, as well as human rights violations and abuses and high levels of crime and violence, that impacts access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel, and has led to high levels of poverty.” There seems to be no end in sight; the government’s commitment to free and fair elections was not upheld as Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro moved to dismantle the election of an opposition candidate during the most recent election.

Read More: The Stories of Migrants Risking Everything for a Better Life

I know this plight personally: I am the daughter of Jewish immigrants who escaped from political, religious, and social persecution and settled in Venezuela where I grew up. As a result, I can deeply resonate with the horrors the Venezuelan people have endured. I later immigrated to the U.S. where I became a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and post traumatic growth. In my 25 years of practice, I’ve helped hundreds of immigrants and refugees who have experienced the horrors of fleeing their country to pursue a better life in the U.S. and the ones who have left voluntarily. What I’ve come to recognize is that the migrant crisis is in fact a “collective trauma”: when a community, a group of people, or a whole culture experiences chronic, ongoing injustice and suffering with no resources to navigate it. Although individuals within a given group may have very different reactions to the same traumatic event, collective trauma centers the group experience—its shared ethos. The group is more than a gathering of individuals; it is a collective consciousness with its own identity. And during trauma, this identity is shattered and broken in the face of the challenges of mass migration. As a result, the very fabric of Venezuelan culture has been torn apart.

At the core of collective trauma is a lost sense of belonging, ripping asunder the idea that community is a place for safety and support. While individual trauma is a “rupture in meaning” that shatters our own assumptions about the world and our place in it, collective trauma is a “crisis of meaning” that calls into question the identity and belief system of an entire group of people. Collective trauma is the fragmentation of a culture’s shared collective history; it causes division and isolation and the disintegration of the very fabric of the culture. For Venezuelans who immigrate to the U.S., it’s the feeling that their culture, their belief systems, and their tradition—their very existence—don’t matter. Their distinctiveness, cultural pride, and the richness of their collective history have become a liability instead of something to honor and celebrate. For example, many of the Venezuelan refugee women I’ve spoken with personally tell me they are experiencing a loss of their professional identity, of their role as mothers, daughters, sisters within their family structure, and they no longer know how to define themselves and their purpose in life.

It’s from this intense level of suffering, injustice, and terror that parents will do anything to protect their children, even if that means crossing the notoriously dangerous and deadly Darién Gap or the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas. Some may criticize Venezuelan immigrants as careless or fearless, but I see it differently. Their traumatized state overrides normal fear responses in favor of survival. And when they make it across the border, the trauma within them continues as they attempt to settle into a new country, where they are already stigmatized as “illegal aliens.”

Read More: 7 Things That Would Fix Immigration in the U.S.

Collective trauma requires collective healing. But collective healing can only happen when the country of origin and the host culture—the new community— acknowledges, recognizes, and validates the trauma of the immigrants’ experience and provides a sense of safety. And that’s not been the experience of many of the immigrants and refugees I have worked with over the years. Instead they face retraumatization, as they endure prejudice and racism and, regardless of their immigration status, the real threat of deportation—often daily. If they’re lucky to find work, many must accept subpar, demeaning conditions and suffer through multiple acts of abuse with no means of fighting back. They live in a constant state of hyper-vigilance, fearing for themselves and their families.

So what  is the most compassionate way forward? First and foremost, it’s important to remember that these refugees cannot go home again without dire consequences. The U.S. government must provide Venezuelan immigrants with basic emotional, psychological, and systemic support to prevent retraumatization. Without such help, the inability to feel safe, secure, and seen in a new country can overwhelm already fragile nervous systems recovering from compounding trauma experiences. In addition, the government needs to fund local organizations—NGOs and nonprofit agencies—that can help the refugees come together, share  their stories, support one another, rebuild interconnected communities, in order to begin the healing process—individually and collectively. 

What I know to be true is when we validate, acknowledge, and recognize the history of oppression Venezuelan immigrants have experienced, we give them the gift of hope. When they feel a sense of safety and belonging—a part of a larger community—they can contribute gladly and mightily to their new home.  

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Essay 15: asian immigrants and refugees: demographic transformations in the united states from world war ii to the present.

Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2012. In the collections of the Library of Congress (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.23943).

Part of a series of articles titled Finding a Path Forward: Asian American Pacific Islander National Historic Landmarks Theme Study .

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Last updated: July 23, 2024

Stereotypes About Immigrants and Refugees Essay

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The most common stereotypes related to immigrants are concerns raised by people about economics, culture, and violence. For example, some persons believe that refugees enter the country and take other people’s jobs, thus leaving many citizens without opportunities for employment. Other stigmas deal with supposed violence – the narrative that all immigrants are in the country illegally, and their behavior is criminal. Finally, the aspect of culture and its preservation arises often; people who come from different countries are believed to force their religion and traditions onto others, changing the historical background of the nation.

The majority of these stereotypes develop due to the lack of education and understanding of immigration and people’s relocation. For instance, the history of the US heavily focuses on the achievements of white people, while the origins of them coming to the continent are not emphasized. Moreover, the fear of being replaced as the dominant group is also prevalent in discussions. White people believe that by opening the borders and letting other cultures develop, they will lose the opportunity to preserve their own.

Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco (n.d.) explain that this fear arises every time a new wave of immigration occurs; it is often based on racist beliefs. One may suggest that the prejudice against immigrants grows when new ideas and traditions challenge one’s worldview. White people of European descent have a particular living experience that may differ significantly from that of a non-white immigrant.

Such stereotypes are dangerous on many levels, mostly because they increase interpersonal tension. Fear becomes the foundation for hatred, which, in turn, may escalate into violence and aggression. For example, the portrayal of immigrants as criminals who enter the country illegally has recently brought many problems to the people who wanted to seek refuge in the US. Gessen (2018) provides an example of news outlets showing a large group of people marching towards the US as a dangerous “caravan.” Various news sources declared these people a threat to border security and stated that they are a national emergency (Gessen, 2018).

Here, two significant stereotypes are exploited – the belief that these immigrants are committing a crime and that they are violent. Both of these statements are not true; immigration is a legal action, and their peaceful march was a cry for help and not an act of violence.

The instances of expressing biases also occur in real life, especially if the conversation concerns the latest news. I can recall an example when one of my friend’s brothers said that because of the immigrants coming into the country, many people would lose their job. I was mostly confused as to why he thought that it would happen. It is clear that people arriving in the country would need a job – but it also means that more people would need services and help.

As a result, new jobs would be needed to accommodate everyone’s needs. However, I also felt disappointed in the fact that somebody would deny a person a chance of moving to a place that they perceived as safe out of baseless fear. This is the main problem that should be overcome with dialogue and education. People who express concerns related to the problems of immigration should learn about the benefits of multiculturalism and newly arriving people. Here, education is the key to establishing an aware and supportive society.

Gessen, M. (2018). How the media normalizes Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric . The New Yorker . Web.

Suárez-Orozco, C., & Suárez-Orozco, M. (n.d.). What are the predominant stereotypes about immigrants today? Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021, June 15). Stereotypes About Immigrants and Refugees. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotypes-about-immigrants-and-refugees/

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IvyPanda . 2021. "Stereotypes About Immigrants and Refugees." June 15, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotypes-about-immigrants-and-refugees/.

1. IvyPanda . "Stereotypes About Immigrants and Refugees." June 15, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stereotypes-about-immigrants-and-refugees/.

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The role of social workers in immigrant and refugee welfare.

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Christine M Rine, The Role of Social Workers in Immigrant and Refugee Welfare, Health & Social Work , Volume 43, Issue 4, November 2018, Pages 209–212, https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hly030

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At the time of writing, a “zero tolerance” policy intended to prosecute everyone who attempts to cross the border illegally and forcibly separate children from their parents is a national concern on the forefront of the thoughts and actions of social workers across the country. The impact of this malicious approach to immigration permeates all aspects of practice, at the heart of which are our clients. Our professional history in immigrant and refugee welfare, coupled with current policies and their potential outcomes, place social work at the center of both contention and corrective action. Correspondingly, many social workers have found themselves reexamining their role in policy and practice efforts in response to this current crisis and sequelae yet unknown.

The profession’s long history in supporting the welfare of immigrant and refugee populations was clearly established during the U.S. settlement house movement in the late 1800s. As our focus in this area continued to advance, it also became formalized within various iterations of the Code of Ethics and the policy statements of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). From the start, the ways in which social workers engage with immigrant and refugee policies and populations evolved to reflect the ever-changing political climate and movements of our time. Regardless of the profession’s previous contributions in this arena, recent events triggered many social workers to reconsider their current and future roles.

Once again, the profession is at the center of immigration and refugee rights and is faced with a new set of challenges with which to contend. The callous and poorly thought out zero tolerance policy was widely implemented without exception in April 2018 with the support of the White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As a result, an estimated 1,995 children were separated from their parents between April 19 and May 31 of this year ( Kopan, 2018a ). Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended this policy by quoting the Bible ( Kopan, 2018b ; Long, 2018 ) as a means to obscure and reframe its purpose as one of protection against cross-boarder child smuggling, thus villainizing undocumented immigrants ( NASW, 2018 ). In response, an NASW press release urged that “Congress use its constitutional authority to insist the Trump Administration rescind this ill-conceived mandate” ( NASW, 2018 , last para.). NASW went on to validate its plea by citing abundant research evidence in which findings indicate that family disruptions of this nature produce enduring trauma and in turn affect a host of negative outcomes for youths ( NASW, 2018 ).

Although President Trump continues to blame democrats for the zero tolerance policy and resulting family separation, he suspended this practice via Executive Order 13841 (2018) , titled “Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation” on June 20; subsequently, on June 26, 2018, a federal district court injunction ordered a stop to family separation and called for reunification ( Jarrett, 2018 ). However, a few weeks later, as the deadline approached for family reunification to be completed, plans for such were poorly supported and coordinated ( Collinson, 2018 ; Mcardle, 2018 ; NASW, 2018 ). Although Executive Order 13841 may have allayed this recent practice of family separation for the time being, it did not end the zero tolerance policy that allowed these practices to occur, nor did it address current family detainment methods. Presently, the zero tolerance policy remains in effect while the future of family detainment is uncertain.

The processes and procedures used by the Trump administration in implementing the zero tolerance policy bring attention to the role of social workers as they are among those charged to care for the well-being of detained children separated from their parents. Upon separation, minors are transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which becomes responsible for reuniting children with their families or resettling them through contracted for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations ( Chishti & Bolter, 2018 ; Cornish, 2018 ; Lind, 2018 ). Because ORR’s purpose is to temporarily house undocumented children, it has historically employed social workers, psychologists, and medical professionals to attend to the children’s needs while detained ( HHS, Administration for Children & Families, ORR, n.d. ). However, immigration lawyers contend that the Trump administration has increasingly used children’s records, developed by ORR social workers and other professionals, in immigration court as evidence in determining their fate. Documentation derived by those intended to support the well-being of detained youths can result in unintended outcomes such as deportation and detainment in more restrictive settings based on noted mental or behavioral health conditions ( Cornish, 2018 ; Lind, 2018 ; Nilsen, 2018 ). The role of social workers in ORR during this family separation crisis exemplifies the constraints, dual pressures, and frustrations felt by practitioners nationwide; those who regularly engage with immigrant and refugee populations are likely to be acutely conflicted and affected. These recent events and their aftermath challenge the profession to redefine its role in immigrant and refugee welfare in a manner that is better aligned with the current political climate. Particularly, this challenges case versus cause in a way that cannot be ignored.

Undoubtedly, the implementation and repercussions of family separation influences and informs social work practice for clients and practitioners alike. Discourse within news sources, social media, and professional circles suggests that social workers across the country are experiencing a wide range of personal and professional conflicts that are inextricably intertwined. At the center of these quandaries is the duality of social work, where micro and macro functions often operate within discrete siloes regardless of efforts to appreciate both foci within the profession ( Reardon, 2012 ). This recent immigration policy debacle illustrates how social and political forces can exacerbate professional tensions between case and cause and the role of social work as a force for social change or social control ( Hardy, 2016 ).

Our expertise and sustained accomplishment in promoting the welfare of immigrant and refugee populations positions social workers to lead change efforts now, while proactively preparing for challenges yet to come. As social workers remain on the frontline in both practice and policy endeavors, recent family separation practices and their implications afford an opportunity to consider our individual roles and that of the profession. These unfortunate developments have the potential to reignite focus on political action and advocacy within individual social workers, the organizations in which we practice, our research agendas, and social work education. It is not surprising that both anecdotal and objective practitioner accounts throughout settings indicate that many are newly spurred to explore their personal and professional roles. Although this editorial is not intended to offer answers, it is intended to set the stage for social workers to ask questions and seek their own resolutions.

Chishti , M. , & Bolter , J. ( 2018 , May 24). Family separation and “zero-tolerance” policies rolled out to stem unwanted migrants, but may face challenges. Migration Policy Institute: Policy Beat . Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/family-separation-and-zero-tolerance-policies-rolled-out-stem-unwanted-migrants-may-face

Collinson , S. ( 2018 , July 7). The Trump administration separated families. Reuniting them is a giant mess. CNN Politics . Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/07/politics/donald-trump-immigration-separations-crisis-politics/index.html

Cornish , A. (Host). ( 2018 , June 15). Office of Refugee Resettlement struggling to house migrant children separated from parents [Radio broadcast episode]. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/06/15/620471047/office-of-refugee-resettlement-struggling-to-house-migrant-children-separated-fr

Exec. Order No. 13841, 83 Fed. Reg. 29435 ( 2018 ).

Hardy , R. ( 2016 , March 15). The role of social work in the refugee crisis. The Guardian: Social Care Network . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/mar/15/social-work-refugee-crisis

Jarrett , L. ( 2018 , June 27). Federal judge orders reunification of parents and children, end to most family separations at border. CNN Politics . Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/politics/federal-court-order-family-separations/index.html

Kopan , T. ( 2018 a, June 16). DHS: 2,000 children separated from parents at border. CNN Politics . Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/15/politics/dhs-family-separation-numbers/index.html

Kopan , T. ( 2018 b, June 14). Sessions cites Bible to defend immigration policies resulting in family separations. CNN Politics . Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/14/politics/jeff-sessions-immigration-policy-defense-biblical/index.html

Lind , D. ( 2018 , June 15). The Trump administration’s separation of families at the border, explained. Vox . Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17443198/children-immigrant-families-separated-parents

Long , C. ( 2018 , June 15). Sessions cites Bible to defend separating immigrant families. AP News . Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/0bcc5d5d077247769da065864d215d1b/Sessions-cites-Bible-to-defend-separating-immigrant-families

Mcardle , M. ( 2018 , June 21). Pelosi, Schumer urge Trump to reunite separated families. National Review . Retrieved from https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pelosi-schumer-trump-reunite-separated-families/

National Association of Social Workers . ( 2018 , May 30). NASW says plan to separate undocumented immigrant children from their parents is malicious and unconscionable [News releases]. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/1654/NASW-says-plan-to-separate-undocumented-immigrant-children-from-their-parents-is-malicious-and-unconscionable

Nilsen , E. ( 2018 , June 19). Kids who cross the border meet with therapists and social workers. What they say can be used against them. Vox . Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/18/17449150/family-separation-policy-immigration-dhs-orr-health-records-undocumented-kids

Reardon , C. ( 2012 ). ‘Case’ and ‘cause’ in social work education—A balancing act. Social Work Today, 12 (2), p. 20.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement . (n.d.). What we do . Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/about/what-we-do

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Immigration and refugees

As many as 100 million people in the world today have migrated to other countries as a result of war, poverty, or just the dream of a better life.

As the number of immigrants has increased, so has controversy about immigration policies.

The debate often centers on economic issues, overlooking the psychological concerns of those adjusting to a new culture. Feelings of loss, culture shock, separation from family, and language difficulties can all contribute to distress.

Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology

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