Displacing Lives and Closing Pathways to Hope: The Health Impacts of Deportation and Return Migration in El Progreso, Honduras

Abstract

The United States detains and deports over 400,000 people annually. A growing body of research on the health impacts of migration suggests that this large-scale return has important consequences for the health of deportees, their families, and their communities. This pilot study aimed to develop an initial characterization of the types of health impacts most commonly observed after deportees arrive in their countries of origin. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with people deported from the U.S., their family members, and community leaders in the medium-sized Honduran city of El Progreso. Using mixed content analysis methodology, three major deportation-related health categories were identified: social and family stressors, economic deprivation, and exposure to violence. While some of the subthemes identified were described as positive (i.e. family reunification), the majority was associated with negative health impacts. These impacts extend to the broader community, contributing to local economic instability, insecurity, and destabilization. Notably, the negative health impacts of deportation were identified as key “push factors” that contribute to the local population’s desire to emigrate to the U.S. Thus, it is possible that deportation, promoted as a means of decreasing the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., is actually fueling additional unauthorized immigration while also contributing to the suffering of many Hondurans. The authors propose that future policy decisions on migration and deportation more actively incorporate public health perspectives in order to mitigate the health challenges facing Honduran migrants, their families, and their communities.