Health Hazards of Migration in People Seeking Asylum in New York City, 2023

Objectives. To identify hazardous migration experiences among asylum seekers and associations with psychiatric illness. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study of asylum seekers in a federally qualified health center in New York City from January 1 to November 30, 2023, to determine the frequency of and factors associated with hazardous migration events: physical or sexual assault, kidnapping, extortion, illnesses, and incarceration. Results. Of 530 people (median age = 28 years, 55.5% female), most were from Venezuela (38.5%), Ecuador (20.0%), and other countries in South America (27.0%). They reported physical assault (24.9%), sexual assault (1.9%), kidnapping (4.7%), extortion (48.3%), and illness (19.4%) during migration. Crossing the Darien Gap was independently associated with experiencing physical or sexual violence (as a composite outcome, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.47, 5.10), illness (AOR = 3.71; 95% CI = 1.70, 8.58), and extortion (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.12, 3.34). Among adults, 10.7% (95% CI = 7.7%, 14.3%) were diagnosed with psychiatric illness during their initial evaluation, and this was more common in those who were incarcerated in immigration detention centers (OR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.13, 3.66). Conclusions. Asylum seekers journeying through the Darien Gap frequently encounter hazardous traumatic events. Detention by immigration authorities is associated with psychiatric illnesses. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(10):1691-1699. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308065).