Introduction
Loss is a challenging event in one’s life, and it is often followed by a period of grief. However, in most cases, loss happens with a clear understanding of what has happened and a perspective of finality that leads to experiencing grief resolution. In contrast, the ambiguous loss does not provide people with such possibilities. People who do not know what has happened to a loved one or feel disconnected from them cannot grieve properly. They do not have closure and continuously experience stress due to separation. The problem of ambiguous grief exists among immigrants and their families, including those who moved to another country alone and those who were separated from their families after arrival.
Background
In the United States, ambiguous loss disproportionately affects the Latino community and undocumented immigrants. According to Lovato-Hermann (2017), the political view of immigration has significantly changed in the last 20 years, shifting from a positive focus on talent and labor opportunities to fear-based rhetoric of terrorism and crime. As a result, people find it much harder to enter the country, and many immigrate without a visa. At the same time, children of undocumented immigrants deported from the US experience another version of ambiguous loss through family separation (Lovato, 2019).
Consequences
In the first type of loss, undocumented immigrants often do not have the means to contact their families or see them again. Thus, both sides worry about one another’s safety and experience. Another problem is that these families do not know whether they will ever reunite (Solheim et al., 2016). As such, feelings of loss are exacerbated by chronic stress. In the case of involuntary separation in the US, children of deported immigrants develop trauma symptoms and future separation anxiety (Lovato, 2019). Moreover, they have behavioral changes and problems in school, which lowers their quality of life and creates additional difficulties in adjusting to the new reality.
Advocacy
Immigrants should be supported on the governmental, state, and local levels. For social workers, specific education for dealing with ambiguous loss is vital, and bilingual specialists are instrumental in this case. Garcini et al. (2019) suggest meaning-making, stress management, and art therapy for clients who immigrated. Lovato (2019) offers to play, narrative, or art therapy as a way to help a child from a separated family to start opening up about their feelings.
Advocacy for immigrants is important– they must be respected and treated with dignity. On the state level, the treatment of immigrants with cruelty has to be challenged by social workers, schools, and child protection organizations. Lovato (2019) suggests declaring specific spaces and activities as safe for immigrants to attend without fear of being apprehended. These “safe havens” extend to hospitals, schools, churches, court offices, and other locations. Immigrants who were separated from their families unwillingly should be provided with ways to reconnect, including telephone and online conversations.
Conclusion
Ambiguous loss due to immigration and family separation greatly affects undocumented immigrants. In the US, the Latino community is among the most researched in terms of this issue due to the long history of immigration. Both immigrants and their families at home face ambiguous loss, which is followed by mental health problems and chronic stress. Children whose parents are deported also develop trauma and can encounter issues at school and home. To lessen the impact of ambiguous loss, immigrants and their families need therapy, community support, and advocacy for policy change to keep them safe.
References
Garcini, L. M., Galvan, T., Peña, J. M., Klonoff, E. A., Parra-Medina, D., Ziauddin, K., & Fagundes, C. P. (2019). “A high price paid”: Migration-related loss and distress among undocumented Mexican immigrants. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 7(3), 245.
Lovato, K. (2019). Forced separations: A qualitative examination of how Latino/a adolescents cope with parental deportation. Children and Youth Services Review, 98, 42-50.
Lovato-Hermann, K. (2017). Crossing the border to find home: A gendered perspective on the separation and reunification experiences of Mexican immigrant young adults in the United States. International Social Work, 60(2), 379-393.
Solheim, C., Zaid, S., & Ballard, J. (2016). Ambiguous loss experienced by transnational Mexican immigrant families. Family Process, 55(2), 338-353.