How Campaign Rhetoric Harms Immigrants

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Former President Trump’s rhetorical attacks on immigrants have defined his candidacy from the start, and much has been written about their political implications. A different but important question is what effect Trump’s language has on immigrants themselves.

Nearly four in ten (36%) immigrants say the way former President Trump has talked about immigrants in the campaign has had a negative effect on how they are treated (7% say the same about Vice President Harris’ rhetoric). And, while the campaign statements usually focus on undocumented immigrants, the impact is more widespread:  the share who they they’ve been negatively impacted is 34% among naturalized citizens, 36% among those who have been in the U.S. 10 years or more, and 37% among those who speak English fluently.  “People usually tell me to go back to Mexico even though that’s not where I’m from” one survey participant told us.  Another said people “belittle me and think that we’re thieves and rapists” and another described being made to feel like a “second class citizen.”

These negative interactions add up and have consequences for people.  For example, about half (47%) of working immigrants report experiencing discrimination at work, about four in ten (38%) when shopping, in restaurants, or in housing or police interactions, and a quarter report being treated unfairly by a health care provider.  Furthermore, reports of discrimination and unfair treatment are more prevalent among immigrants of color compared to White immigrants, illustrating the combined impacts of racism and anti-immigrant discrimination.

Other KFF research has shown that people who report frequent experiences with discrimination in daily life are more likely than those who do not to report mental health impacts, including adverse effects from worry or stress as well as loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Other research similarly finds that experiences with discrimination is associated with negative impacts on physical and mental health among immigrants. 

It never feels good to have someone say something mean about you.  But beyond the feelings, disparaging rhetoric can lead to discrimination, harassment and other serious impacts on people’s physical and mental health.