A Mixed-Methods Study on Extended Parental Separation Among Mexican and Central American Immigrants: Insights From Legal Violence and the Stress Process

My mixed-methods dissertation examines the mental health effects of legal violence on Mexican and Central American immigrants experiencing prolonged parental separation amid heightened immigration enforcement. The study encompasses three papers utilizing Menjívar and Abrego's (2012) framework of legal violence and Pearlin's (1989) stress process model. The first paper employs quantitative analysis of the Mesoamerican Migration Project data, revealing that heightened immigration enforcement is associated with increased distress among Mexican immigrants in the context of parental separation, the use of coyotes, and the Trump era. The second paper offers qualitative insights from 29 Mexican and Central American immigrants, highlighting the emotional complexities and mental health challenges stemming from extended parental separation during adult life stages and its generational impacts. The third paper combines quantitative and qualitative methods that focus on the psychological impacts of Mexican immigrants facing parental separation. The quantitative results suggest that extended parental separation significantly raises distress levels. The qualitative analysis supplements the quantitative findings by focusing on the mental health effects, the cumulative consequences of anti-immigrant rhetoric and the COVID-19 pandemic, and legal obstacles to family reunification. Overall, this dissertation research underscores the influence of structural and social factors on the psychological well-being of immigrants, who report mental health concerns such as depression, loneliness, and feelings of powerlessness while dealing with separation and immigration enforcement. I conclude with policy recommendations provided by Mexican and Central American immigrants that should be considered by community leaders and policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels.