UndocuBlack: Considerations of Critical Race Theory and Mental Health for Undocumented Black Migrants

UndocuBlack individuals hold intersecting identities as migrants, undocumented, and Black people. These overlapping experiences deepen marginalization and oppression, increase mental health difficulties, and decrease access to mental health care, leading to worsened outcomes. Using the framework of Critical Race Theory, this article illustrates the importance of clinicians assessing the role of racism in the mental health care landscape and understanding the compounded effects of immigration status on mental well-being. Therapists should address the barriers to accessing professional mental health services at both the community and client levels. At the community level, clinicians should actively work to restructure bureaucratic health systems and policies that reinforce racism, nativism, and xenophobia. At the client level, when working with undocuBlack individuals, partners, and families, mental health providers should (1) practice cultural humility, (2) seek a client-centered understanding of racial positioning, (3) acknowledge undocumented immigrant isolation, and (4) honor ethical responsibility to the community.