There are two general categories of immigrants living in the United States: immigrants of necessity and immigrants of opportunity. Immigrants of necessity include refugees and asylum seekers. These are individuals who fled torture, war, and/or other types of organized violence (such as trafficking) out of a well-founded fear for their lives or the lives of their family members. While the laws protecting refugees and asylum seekers are similar, the primary difference is that refugee status is determined outside the United States, before the individual safely enters the country, while an asylum seeker enters the country with no guarantee of protection or permission to remain.

Torture is a specific and severe type of human rights abuse that is intended to leave lasting damage to an individual, their family and their community. Immigrants who are survivors of torture or war trauma might experience heightened psychosocial displacement stressors that affect them concerning loss and adaptation (e.g., the loss of and uncertainty about loved ones left behind, the loss of appropriate contexts to bury and mourn the dead, the loss of social support networks and the sense of isolation, the loss of familial and generational roles, the loss of social roles and of meaningful role-related activity, the loss of majority racial or ethnic status, the loss of access to key resources and skills to navigate the new setting, the loss of adequate or meaningful employment). These stressors often are exacerbated due to a loss of interpersonal trust, manipulation and powerlessness, as well as a sense of betrayal by government, social, health care or religious networks that should have provided protection and assistance.

Immigrants of opportunity are individuals who left their country of origin to seek opportunities in the United States, for example, family unification, economic opportunities, health care or other services that were unavailable to them in their country, or to pursue education in the United States.

Both immigrants of necessity and immigrants of opportunity may have encountered traumatic experiences traveling to or upon entry into the United States, for example, abuse from “coyotes” (individuals who were paid by the immigrant to smuggle them into the United States), enduring dangerous travel conditions to cross the border, harassment or harshness from border or immigration officials, invasive searches, or detention in prison-like conditions.

Individuals who lack proper legal documents for residence in the United States, or individuals whose visa permitting visitation, study or work in the United States has expired should be referred to as “undocumented” (never as illegal aliens or “illegals”).

When providing pastoral care to immigrants, the provider should always consider the possibility that the individual has experienced past torture or other human rights abuses and consider how that past trauma may affect both the responses to the recent victimization as well as the approach to pastoral care.

Recognizing and Responding to Re-traumatization

The impact of multiple traumas is complex and the effects may be chronic. The most common mental health diagnoses after torture or other severe human rights abuse are post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. In situations of prolonged trauma individuals are at greater risk for subsequent suicidality and complex post-traumatic stress.

In addition to the original human rights abuse, the trauma of flight and resettlement that immigrants of necessity experienced is also significant. This is understood as the “triple-trauma paradigm”: the first trauma being the torture or human rights abuse in the country of origin, followed by the trauma of flight from the country of origin (often dangerous and involving separation from close family members), and finally the trauma of resettlement in a new country. Sometimes it is the most recent trauma (i.e., resettlement trauma), including the unfamiliar culture and stress related to meeting basic needs that is the most immediately troubling for an individual. All of the traumatic experiences related to immigration, and any other past non-immigration traumatic experiences may be cumulative and can complicate provision of care after victimization in the United States.

Immigrant survivors of torture or other human rights abuses who are subsequently victimized in the United States could experience exacerbation or re-triggering of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

It is important to recognize when the current victim care situation may be complicated by past traumatic experiences in an immigrant victim. An astute pastoral care provider may be in a unique position to recognize these complex situations and ask a few carefully chosen questions of the victim to uncover information about a past history of torture or other severe trauma. Well meaning health care and law enforcement providers may be so focused on the immediate situation and needs of the victim that they are not able to recognize the re-triggering of past traumatic experiences, or they may be unaware of the possibility that the individual could be a survivor of torture or other human rights abuse. The pastoral care provider can be an advocate for the victim and alert other providers to the possibility of re-traumatization and re-triggering and help prevent further trauma to the individual through the course of usual care. An example of a question that may begin to uncover these issues is, “Were you ever harmed in your country, or did you witness friends or family who were harmed? “

Pastoral care for immigrant victims of crime

Both the Hebrew and the Christian Bibles frequently refer to refugees, hospitality for strangers and assistance for prisoners and victims of injustice (several examples from among many include Exodus 2:9, 22:21, and 23:9; Leviticus 19:33-34 and 24:22; Jeremiah 7:1-7 and 22:3; Matthew 2:13-18 and 25:31-46; Colossians 4:18; and Hebrews 13: 2-3) so it is especially appropriate that pastoral care providers would identify with and seek to assist immigrant victims of crime.

Many survivors of torture and other human rights abuses cite their religious faith as one of the most important factors that helped them survive extraordinary trauma and loss. Religious faith can provide a “holding environment” that is essential for effective healing and care, a place where a person can feel safe and nurtured. Pastoral care providers who genuinely demonstrate support for an immigrant crime victim’s expression and practice of their faith during a time of crisis will be more likely to deliver effective care.

Concerns about proselytizing when serving immigrants

Overt proselytizing or even subtle suggestions pushing one faith perspective is inappropriate for all crime victims, including immigrants who may be more likely to have a religious background that differs from one's own. It is helpful for the pastoral care provider to indicate their openness to supporting an immigrant victim’s religious beliefs and to sensitively explore how that faith could support them in a time of crisis. Other ways to demonstrate support include bringing in clergy from the individual’s faith tradition if that is feasible. There may be opportunities when it would be meaningful for the pastoral care provider to offer to pray together with the victim, even if they are not from the same religion.

Summary

Pastoral care providers are in a unique position to understand the special needs of immigrant victims of crime; especially those individuals who have experienced past traumatic experiences related to severe human rights abuses. An understanding of the conditions of immigration, the nature and long-lasting effects of human rights-related trauma and sensitive issues in providing care to immigrants will increase the possibility for effective pastoral care interventions for this population.