Awakened Hatred and Heightened Fears: “The Trump Effect” on the Lives of Mixed-Status Families

Abstract

The rise of the Trump regime has sparked xenophobic sentiments directed toward and heightened fears experienced by mixed-status immigrant families living in the United States. Using the Southern Poverty Law Center’s concept of “The Trump Effect”—how the election of Donald Trump has had a damaging impact on undocumented immigrants—the researchers reveal how the lives of 12 mixed-status families (16 youth and 16 of their parents/guardians) have been transformed. Implications of this investigation are significant given the current social and political landscapes and continual fear mixed-status families undergo in their plight for daily survival.