“My Life was Filled with Constant Anxiety”: Anti-Immigrant Discrimination, Undocumented Status, and Their Mental Health Implications for Brazilian Immigrants

Immigration reform and the various costs associated with undocumented immigration have been in national headlines in the past
few years. The growth of Latinos as the US’ largest ethno-racial minority has sparked debates about the “browning” of the
United States and led to an increase in anti-immigrant discrimination. While some researchers have documented the effects
of racial discrimination on the mental health of ethno-racial minorities in the United States, less has explored how anti-immigrant
discrimination and undocumented status influence the mental and psychological well-being of Latino immigrants, more specifically
Brazilian immigrants, in the United States. Relying on data from in-depth interviews conducted with 49 Brazilian return migrants
who immigrated to the United States and subsequently returned to Brazil, this paper will examine how their experiences living
as racialized and primarily undocumented immigrants in the United States influenced their mental health. Specifically, I demonstrate
that respondents experienced ethno-racial and anti-immigrant discrimination and endured various challenges that had negative
implications for their mental health. This paper will also discuss additional factors that researchers should take into account
when examining immigrants’ mental health and the challenges immigrants encounter in a racialized society with increasing anti-immigrant
sentiment.