As a DACA Recipient, My Mental Health Suffers. We All Deserve Better Care.

“My whole existence in the US is fragile.” Rosio Santos Castelan of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation shares her story as a DACA recipient in POPSUGAR, As a DACA Recipient, My Mental Health Suffers. We All Deserve Better Care.

Amid immigrant stories of strength and resistance, there is also fear and trauma that run through generations. Many in the undocumented community struggle to heal. One in four DACA recipients report moderate psychological distress from living in the uncertainty of their legal status in the country. This includes young people like Rosio. She was only three when she and her family came to the United States from Mexico. Like many young immigrants, Rosio carries insurmountable stress because of the dysfunctional immigration policies of this country that fail to protect her safety.

She makes an urgent call for culturally relevant and accessible mental health resources to support the unique needs of the undocumented community. But we need more. A permanent pathway to citizenship would reduce — if not altogether eliminate — the anxiety and fear of deportation the undocumented community carries.