By Yasmine Elkharssa 

In an age of near instant communication, navigating the political landscape can feel like wading through murky water. Political misinformation—which can take the form of half-truths, manipulated facts, or outright lies—threatens to drown out truth and erode public trust. This is particularly dangerous for immigrant communities in the United States, who are already vulnerable to being politicized through the spread of misinformation.

As the November election approaches, polls and media attention once again suggest that immigration will likely be one of the main issues. Disinformation about immigrants, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups has been used to reinforce cliches and damaging tropes and inflame social division, and harms the lives of real people.

The divisive narrative around immigration is not new. In the 1990s, xenophobia grew rampant with the proliferation of rhetoric that framed immigrants as a threat to the ’s cultural identity of the United States. An increase in immigration to this country led state politicians and media outlets to promote strict immigration policies, such as California’s Proposition 187, which aimed to deny access to public services like food programs and health care to undocumented individuals. This climate of suspicion and hostility deeply impacted immigrant communities, fostering an environment of exclusion and discrimination that set the foundation for the enactment of federal laws  like the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act and Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.

The weight of these discriminatory policies continue to be felt today. Politicians have continued to call for detrimental policies such as family separation at the southern border, increased deportations, and restricting asylum seekers from entering the U.S.

When misinformation is amplified by powerful politicians, it is no surprise that this rhetoric becomes reflected by the  public. Research has found that online misinformation about immigrant communities can lead to the promotion of false representations of immigrants; foster negative attitudes; and consolidate prejudices against immigrant groups. Due to the speed and reach of online misinformation, the negative outlook on immigrants can lead to violence and persecution against ethnic groups and harmful immigration policies.

• Since September 11, 2001, Muslims and those perceived as Muslim have been the targets of many xenophobic hate crimes. Widespread Muslim hate has also led to the increase in xenophobic policies at the federal level. In 2017, then-President Trump issued the so-called “Muslim Ban,” which called for a complete shutdown of people from Muslim-majority countries entering the United States. Many American Muslims still face the repercussions today, as family members remain separated; there are heightened levels of harassment and violence; and extensive restrictions to visa applications to the U.S. persist.
• In recent years, anti-Latino hate crimes have steadily risen–from 2020 to 2021, anti-Latino hate crimes rose by 41 percent. This directly led to one of the deadliest attack on immigrants, when a man committed a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. His motivation was to kill Latino immigrants, who he believed were “seeking to replace white Americans.” This was the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern American history. 
• As a result of the harmful rhetoric around  the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have risen dramatically: one in three Asian adults know someone who has been verbally or physically attacked since the start of the pandemic. 
• Anti-Black and xenophobic policies, fueled by harmful rhetoric, have a direct impact. A report on the experiences of Black immigrants in the United States found that those who saw media portrayals of violence against Black immigrants were afraid to watch the news or even leave their homes. 

Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that immigrants commonly face a great deal of mental health struggles, in part due to rhetoric and anti-immigrant policies. A study suggests that recent immigrants, such as those who are undocumented or have limited English proficiency, are more likely than U.S. citizens to experience high stress levels and anxiety, which cultural and social barriers may compound. Fear and distress in immigrant communities is heightened by political misinformation. Compared to white Americans, undocumented immigrants were found to underutilize or prematurely end treatment due to fear of using health coverage due to immigration enforcement, and barriers to access care.

Immigrants’ humanity should not be overlooked due to their legal status, ethnicity, or country of origin. The spread of misinformation in politics and among the general public has only amplified the harm and discrimination against their communities. 

To build a society rooted in truth, we must listen to the lived experiences of immigrants and counter the harms of misinformation. The American public, policymakers, and the media need to:

• Uplift the stories of immigrants, by immigrants.
• Highlight the positive impact that immigrants have on our communities, including their economic contributions, instead of spreading falsehoods that suggest otherwise.
• Challenge and correct misinformation in daily life and online.