Presentation from the 2016 International Conference on Aging in the Americas hosted at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus, Sept. 14-16.

1. Aging Environments of Fear
Nestor Rodriguez
The University of Texas at Austin
Jacqueline Hagan
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2. Paper’s thesis
• Restrictive immigration policies implemented since the mid-1990s
have created fear and stress in immigrant environments that
negatively affect the quality of life for older immigrants age 50 and
older.

3. IIRIRA and PRWORA,
1996, Etc.
1) Placed older migrants at risk for arrest,
detention, and deportation
2) Created instability, fear, and tension in
households that support older migrants,
3) Restricted access to health-care resources
State and Local Restrictive Measures
Figure 1. Outcome of Local Restrictive Policy
Proposals by Quarter, 2000 to 2009
(Migration Policy Institute 2010)

4. IIRIRA
Facilitates deportations
• Increases number of deportable offenses
• Makes most detention mandatory
• Makes deportations retroactive
• Section 287(g) authorizes training for
state and local police to inspect
immigration status
• Increases deportation cancelation criteria
• Budget for construction of border barrier

5. Sources of Older Immigrants:
Aging and Immigration
• Pew Research Center:
• 2000- 35% of unauthorized migrants in
US for 10+ years
• 2010- 62% of unauthorized in US for 10+
years
• MPI: 663,600 (6%) of 11.1 mil
unauthorized immigrants age 55 and over
EMIF:
• 2011—87,507 persons age 50+ migrating
to the US
• 2013—74,000 persons age 50+ migrating
to US

6. Data Sources
• Encuestas Sobre la Migracion en las Fronteras Norte y Sur de Mexico (EMIF)
• 1989 Legalized Population Survey (LPS1) of the US Department of Labor
• The Pew Research Center National Survey of Latinos in 2007, 2008, 2010
and 2013
Other:
• Arbona et al. 2010. “Predictors of Acculturative Stress among Documented
and Undocumented Latino Immigrants.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral
Sciences, 32 (3): 362-384.
• Rodriguez, N., and J. Hagan. 2004. “Fractured Families and Communities:
Effects of Immigration Reform in Texas, Mexico, and El Salvador.” Latino
Studies, 2 (3): 328-351.

7. Fear and Stress in Immigrant Environments
Source: Pew Research Center, National Survey of Latinos, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013
Table 1. Latino Worry about Deportation (%)
Question: How much do you worry that you, a family member, or a close friend will be
deported?
A Lot Some Not much Not at all Total
2013 All 24 18 9 48 99
2010 Latinos 38 17 9 36 100
2008 40 17 9 32 98
2007 33 20 12 34 99
2013 Native 15 14 8 62 99
2010 born 25 13 11 52 101
2008 20 15 10 54 99
2007 18 14 13 54 99
2013 Foreign 31 22 10 37 100
2010 Born 51 21 7 20 99
2008 53 19 8 18 98
2007 43 24 11 20 98

8. Latino Immigrant Worry Responses, Age 50+, 2013
Source: Pew Research Center
Table 2. Latino immigrants, age 50+, worry about Deportation, by
citizen/noncitizen, 2013
Question: How much do you worry that you, a family member, or a close
friend will be deported?
Citizen
(n= 136)
Noncitizen
(n = 54)
Worry a lot or some 41% 53%
Worry not much or not at all 59% 40%
No response 1% 6%
101% 99%

9. Arbona et al. 2010. Acculturative Stress among
Documented and Undocumented Latino Immigrants
in the United States. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral
Sciences 32 (3): 362-84.
“Fear of deportation”
Explained 21% of the variance for
extrafamilial (work, immigration stress) stress
Explained 6% of variance of Intrafamilial
stress

10. Increased risk of deportation
Source: Trac, 2014, ICE Deportations: Gender, Age, and Country of Citizenship. Syracuse University
ICE Deportations by Age
FY 2012 FY 2013 FY2012 FY2013
All 409,849 368,644
Age Provided 326,434 368,607 100% 100%
0-4 50 44 0% 0%
5-9. 52 62 0% 0%
10-14. 311 207 0% 0%
15-19 17,651 19,502 5% 5%
20-24 68,256 74,256 21% 20%
25-29 73,622 80,717 23% 22%
30-39 108,494 124,297 33% 34%
40-49 45,090 53,577 14% 15%
50-59 11,147 13,786 3% 4%
60-69 1,588 1,982 0% 1%
70+ 172 177 0% 0%

11. Risk of Household Collapse:
“Deporting Social Capital”
Salvadoran Deported Migrant
Sample, 2002 (N=300):
• 25% of total sample lived in
multigenerational households with
older generation
• 70% of those who lived 5+ years in
US had an older generational
member in household in US
(Rodriguez & Hagan 2004)

12. Restrictions to Health
Care The New England Journal of Medicine
“Undocumented Injustice? Medical Repatriation
and the Ends of Health Care”
Michael J. Young, M.Phil., and Lisa Soleymani Lehmann,
M.D., Ph.D.
N Engl J Med 2014; 370:669-673February 13, 2014DOI:
10.1056/NEJMhle1311198
Health care needs of older immigrants
• Eight percent of IRCA applicants
hospitalized in US (LPS1)
• Main usual places of health care for IRCA
applicants were “doctor’s office” and
family clinics for 11% of women
applicants (LPS1)
• Texas public hospitals offer lists to federal
officials of unauthorized immigrants who
did not pay hospital bill
• 800 documented cases of hospital
repatriations (Young & Lehmann 2014)