This article introduces the first volume of a two-part series on im/migrant well-being. Stemming from the conference, Im/migrant Well-Being: A Nexus for Research & Policy, the author discusses the importance of studying im/migrant well-being, and why focusing on immigration policies and enforcement measures is of critical importance if scholars are interested in understanding the social factors that shape well-being among im/migrant populations. A brief review of the articles in this special issue is provided as the author argues for the importance of publicly engaged research that can provide policy-oriented solutions to the public and change-makers.
ÁvilaL.IbanezD. (2026). An expensive pass to freedom: Bond amounts trajectories in immigration court. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 322–342.
3.
Dromgold-SermenM. (2026). The bureaucratic waiting tolls: Social consequences of uncertain and prolonged waiting in U.S. lawful permanent residence processing. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 343–362.
4.
KirkseyJ.Sattin-BajajC. (2026) ICE raids the pillar of a community: Student achievement, absenteeism, and mobility following a large worksite enforcement operation in North Texas. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 299–321.
5.
MartínezA. D.RuelasL.GrangerD. A. (2018). Household fear of deportation in relation to chronic stressors and salivary proinflammatory cytokines in Mexican-origin families post-SB 1070. SSM-Population Health, 5, 188–200.
6.
MartinezD.ReinekeR.BoyceG.ChambersS.LauniusS.AndersonB.. . . Rubio-GoldsmithR. (2021). Migrant deaths in Southern Arizona: Recovered undocumented border crosser remains investigated by the Pima County Office of the medical examiner, 1990–2020. Available at SSRN.
7.
Martinez-ArandaM. (2021). The Impact of ICE Surveillance Technology on the Well-being of the Children of Immigrants. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 280–298, 70(3), 280–298.
8.
MasseyD. S.DurandJ.MaloneN. J. (2002). Beyond smoke and mirrors: Mexican immigration in an era of economic integration. Russell Sage Foundation.
9.
MenjívarC. (2022). Possibilities for sociological research to reduce inequalities: Observations from the immigration scholarship. Socius, 8, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221080014
10.
MenjívarC. (2026). Publicly Engaged Sociological Research for Immigrant Well-Being. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 248–261.
PatlerC.GonzalezG. (2026). Wellbeing, changes to academic behavior, and resilience among families experiencing parental immigration imprisonment. American Behavioral Scientist, 70(3), 262–279.
13.
Romo AlbaC. (2023). “They can murder us today and it wouldn’t be a novelty”: U.S. expulsion policies and the violent structure of the U.S. border enforcement matrix. Paper presented at the conference, “Im/migrant Well Being: A Nexus for Research & Policy, St. Petersburg, FL, USA.
14.
SantosC.MenjívarC. (2013). Youths’ perspective on Senate Bill 1070 in Arizona: The socio-emotional effects of immigration policy. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 7(2): 7–17.
15.
SantosC. E.MenjívarC.VanDaalenR. A.KornienkoO.UpdegraffK. A.CruzS. (2018). Awareness of Arizona’s immigration law SB1070 predicts classroom behavioural problems among Latino youths during early adolescence. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 41(9), 1672–1690.
16.
ToomeyR. B.Umaña-TaylorA. J.WilliamsD. R.Harvey-MendozaE.JahromiL. B.UpdegraffK. A. (2014). Impact of Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law on utilization of health care and public assistance among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their mother figures. American Journal of Public Health, 104(S1), S28–S34.
17.
VargasE. D.SanchezG. R.JuárezM. (2017). Fear by association: Perceptions of anti-immigrant policy and health outcomes. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 42(3), 459–483.
