User:Carobearivas1/Mental health and immigration detention

Australia created the Immigration Act 1901, which was passed to restrict all people especially Asians from entering the country to preserve their white citizens. In order for people to stay in the country, they were required to take the dictation test. The dictation test determined wether they could stay within the country. Majority who travelled overseas weren't able to pass the test, thus they were considered unqualified to stay and were deported to their home country by the Australian Government.

Later, Australia issued the Migration Act in 1958, which gives the right to border forces to have integrate coercive powers over people who enter the country without a visa. Under the coercive powers given to officers, they can detain people and send them to detention centers where they will stay until they have a visa or be at risk of being deported. Those who are in the detention centers are given an estimate amount of days on average 625 days in the centers. Majority of the people of all ages, entering the country are refugees from the Middle East and Asia who are seeking asylum in Australia.

Canada had passed numerous immigration acts throughout the years. Some of the legislations and acts created restricted and protected people who entered Canada. The Immigration Act, 1869 was primarily created with specific instructions to protect people who were entering Canada by ship. As the years progressed Canadian government increased its regulations towards immigrants creating the Immigration Act, 1976. It was the official document that was thoroughly detailed on the rules and regulations regarding who of the immigrants were classified as refugees seeking for help and who weren't considered as one. It was a major legislative action taken by the Canadian government.

Canada contains one of the highest rates of immigrant population, according to 2021 Canadian Census. Canada takes pride in being a humanitarian country as they were the first to pass the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 1988. Which provided security and free of discrimination to all the different cultures and communities within the country. Although, they passed a significant act to those in Canada, there are many who try to get into Canada and if captured by immigration forces, are sent to immigration detention centers, where they too stay more than a year.

Schizophrenia
There was a study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry that analyzed previously published studies conducted from 1977 to 2013. The purpose was to understand how schizophrenia correlates to minority migrants of low socioeconomic status. The study gathered 18 published studies that met their criteria of migrants from different countries such as Australia, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The study classified the different groups based on skin color, potentiality of higher risk of schizophrenia, and their economic status from the country of birth is relevant to the developmental of schizophrenia. With all the studies gathered and multiple analyses done, they calculated a mean of 2.9 with a 95% confidence level of first-generation and second-generation male and female migrants having a higher risk of schizophrenia.

The study concluded with the idea that previous family history too, is a cause on generations having schizophrenia, but also argues that the environment in which the migrant is in is a contribution in the increasing risk of schizophrenia.

Long term consequence
A study was done demonstrating how non-citizens and citizen Latinos are both psychologically threatened with deportation. The study signified an increase in psychological distress during Trump's national election towards non-citizens as they were the most affected. They didn't see it as much of a change for the other group, until 30 days later with the announcement of DACA and DAPA being rescinded. It was concluded that both groups are significantly impacted to the national deportation threats as they target individuals or the family members of the individuals impacted.

Children and adolescents
Most children arrive on boat, to Australia, seeking refugee and protection under the Australian government. Since Australia created the strict regulation of detaining anyone who doesn't acquire a legal visa, children were sent to the detention centers where they aren't the date they are to be free. The average amount of days a child is detained can range from 17 days to 1 year 8 months and 11 days. The number of children being detained are increasing yearly, some arrive unaccompanied and they are sent to an alternative detention facility similar to a foster home.

Conditions in detention centers
People who are detained in the immigration detention centers endure the hardships of countless problems such as negligence, learning a second language, overcrowded confinements, rising temperatures in the centers, with lights on the 24 hours, little to no medical care for struggling migrants, discrimination, sickness and more.

In the United States, during President Trump's administration, members of Congress and other government officials visited the immigration detention centers run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Texas. Many of which were shocked at what they had encountered, based on the 60 children interviewed many of whom malnourished and sanitation was not appropriate for living conditions. Numerous cases were confirmed that about 540 migrants and some staff members were infected with the mumps disease in Texas. As the number of cases increased in different ICE facilities, and exponential growth of detainees 25,000 doses of vaccines that were administered weren't enough.

There had been severe complaints filed and sent to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights (CRCL) to make a change towards ICE's abusive system within the detention centers. The complaints described the treatment individuals confront and how staff in the centers instead of sending those who are going through mental health to seek medical care, they are sent to solitary confinement. Such treatment of ICE facilities violated the 2019 National Detention Standards for Non-Dedicated Facilities

In Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) detained people as they see fit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. In 2020 Canada detained 8,825 people of which 136 were children on the grounds of migration. Some were sent to maximum security prisons or solitary confinements with no information of how long they will be detained. Those who were African or Caribbean Black descents are brutality treated, shackled, strip-searched and have everything taken away from them.

During COVID-19 there was an increase of disease spread within the confinement's. Pregnant women had miscarriages, whenever the women needed medical care it was poor quality, they had high rates of infant mortality, pre-eclampsia, etc.

In Australia, the refugee council of Australia (RCOA) have people do weekly visits to detention centers most of who are confronted with several rules and regulations enforced by the Australian Border Force (ABF). Visitors are required to request a 48-hour notice of who they wish to visit. The staff is authorized to refuse the visitor if they see fit, as they limit the number of visitors in the facility. The food a visitor brings has to be eaten during the visiting period or it will be discarded. The overall treatment towards visitors isn’t welcoming, as the rules keep increasing on what visitors can and can’t use, bring, and do prior to visiting.

Alternatives
Recognizing that the people who are coming in to first world countries are humans who have tried to enter with a purpose of seeking asylum. Most of the children are from the age of 1 to 12, Jesuit Social Services argues that children shouldn't be locked up and sending them to the detention centers should be the last resort. The rules and regulations for visitations should stay consistent so the visiting processes can go smooth. Visitors have an impact on people who are going through mental challenges, as it's an opportunity where the migrant feels heard and have someone to confide in.