The health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness

Incarcerated individuals with mental illness face unique health challenges, yet we know little about individuals with mental illness who are detained by US immigration authorities. We aimed to describe the health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness.

We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey in 2021 with a sample of recently detained immigrants who were detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and released in the United States in 2020-2021 (n = 203). We used multivariable regression to assess the association between mental illness and the incidence of five outcomes while in immigration detention: 1) poor general health, 2) difficulty accessing medical services, 3) difficulty accessing mental health services, 4) interruptions to care, 5) and exposure to solitary confinement.

115/203 participants (56.7 %) had diagnosed mental illness, most commonly depression and PTSD. Rates of poor health, difficulty accessing medical and mental health services, interruptions to care, and exposure to solitary confinement during detention were high overall, and significantly higher among individuals with mental illness.

There is pressing need for policy actions and protections to mitigate health harms experienced in immigration detention.