Moral Injury and the Latine Immigrant Community

"In my previous post, I discussed the psychological violence being imposed on the Latine immigrant community through the implementation of new and insidious immigration policies under the current administration. Since that publication, this violence has intensified in both scale and visibility. Across many regions of the United States, the public has witnessed large-scale ICE raids in neighborhoods, workplaces, hospitals, school events, and even outside immigration courts, where individuals and entire families are apprehended as they exit mandatory hearings."

"Adding to the terror is the well-documented reality that U.S. citizens of Latine descent have repeatedly been swept up in raids or individually targeted. As a result, many Latine individuals-including members of my own household-now question their safety each time they leave home. I have insisted that my family carry passports or Real IDs at all times and keep copies of these documents in our vehicles out of fear of being erroneously detained at a raid or checkpoint."

Moral injury is a trauma response caused by violations of an individual's moral code. Latine immigrants face intensified exposure to potentially morally injurious events due to aggressive immigration enforcement and widespread ICE raids. Publicly visible raids, family separations, and forcible detainments have amplified fear across communities, including U.S. citizens of Latine descent. Daily precautions such as carrying passports or Real IDs reflect pervasive anxiety about racial profiling, wrongful detention, or illegal deportation. These experiences create conditions for collective and individual moral injury. Focused investigation and culturally informed responses are needed to address mental health consequences within the Latine immigrant community.

Read at Psychology Today