THIS IS THE MAIN POSTT

Watch Video – What we’re missing in the debate about immigration

https://archive.org/details/DuarteGeraldino_2017S (Links to an external site.)

How did this video influence your understanding/perception of immigration?  As a clinical psychologist, how might the lessons/understanding you gained assist you to be culturally responsive and better meet the needs of clients who are immigrants, and/or have family members facing immigration issues?

Rach THIS IS THE RESPOND TO THE MAIN POST

In the video, Duarte Geraldino discusses what is missing in the debate about immigration (Geraldino, 2017). He first addresses a situation where a father was getting deported from the United States at the same time that his son was being deployed, to fight for the United States (Geraldino, 2017). I can’t imagine what it feels like to be in either of these individuals’ situations. Often, it seems like immigrants get a bad name and are looked down upon by some U.S. citizens. Geraldino explains that as a child, his mother explained to him that the Statue of Liberty is waving immigrants into the U.S., welcoming them (Geraldino, 2017). This is a nice perspective, as I have never heard it before. I remember studying Ellis Island as a teen, taking a field trip there, and learning about America the melting pot, where cultures collide. I always thought it was cool and interesting that America was one of the only countries where many different cultures are living together and working in unison. With the diversity of culture comes diversity of opinion, and this can have both positive and negative implications. Geraldino also discussed a prominent restaurant owner who was threatened with deportation, but was such a pillar in his community that the court system actually accepted such evidence as good restaurant reviews to demonstrate his role and importance, and allowed him to stay in the U.S. (Geraldino, 2017). There is no one-size-fits-all rule for immigration, and rulings should be determined on a case by case basis, but that decision makers should work to exude fairness and consideration.

What’s missing in the debate about immigration is the impact of the absence of someone who has been deported, on others. The deportee’s immediate family and social circle (mother, father, sister, brother, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, close friends, colleagues, customers, etc.) will be largely affected by the deportation of their family member (Geraldino, 2017). The deportation of one individual has the capacity to affect several individuals. It is clear that the implications of negative impacts on these individuals can affect home life, work, health and well-being, and social interest. As a whole, if all social circles of deportees were examined following deportation, there would likely be a pattern present where individuals closest to the deportee are socially affected, which will influence their performance in all areas of their everyday life. Looking at the big picture, and the negative impact of deportation on individuals, can provoke the understanding that the country itself is largely affected when individuals are losing members of their social circles and everyday routines. This learning exercise has given me a greater understanding of the stressors the deportees and their families face. Working to gain more knowledge and understanding on the subject, becoming culturally responsive as a clinical psychologist is a major aspect of working with immigrants or families facing immigration problems.

My question this week is what areas of life are most affected for individuals when immigrant family members of the social circle are deported? Home, work, social circle, health, and/or other?

Reference

Geraldino, D. (2017). What we’re missing in the debate about immigration. https://archive.org/details/DuarteGeraldino_2017S (Links to an external site.)