Study: Nearly 1/4 of Illegals on the California Border Have a Mental Disorder

U.S. Border Patrol agent Jerry Conlin stands on the American side of the U.S.-Mexico borde
John Moore/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly a quarter of Mexican illegal aliens surveyed in a new study have a mental disorder.

The study, conducted by Rice University, found that, out of the sample 250 Mexican illegal aliens living in California near the U.S.-Mexico border, nearly 25 percent suffered from a mental disorder, including depression, anxiety, and panic disorder.

“The estimates obtained in this study for depression and anxiety disorders were considerably higher in this population when compared with estimates for the general U.S. population,” one of the researchers noted.

More specifically, roughly 14 percent of illegal aliens living near the southern border said they suffered from depression, while eight percent said they had a panic disorder. Another seven percent said they had general anxiety.

The study also found that four percent of the illegal aliens studied had substance abuse issues. Researchers said that result was on par with the national U.S. average and minimized the overall findings of the study. “This finding defies existing stereotypes that contribute to stigmatization of and discrimination against Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. without documentation as a population with high prevalence of substance use,” lead author Luz Garcini said.

Researcher’s results on the Mexican illegal alien population in California come as President Trump’s administration is set to bring in 1,250 Middle Eastern, mostly male, foreign refugees from detention centers in Australia.

As Breitbart News reported, the refugees, once they arrive in the U.S., will need serious mental health treatment, as the Guardian revealed. Refugee resettlement expert Ann Corcoran told Breitbart News that the fact that the Trump administration is bringing foreign nationals to the U.S. who need mental health treatment is “outrageous.”

“We have single men, coming to the US from Sri Lanka and Iran and Afghanistan,” Corcoran said. “They’ve been held in detention for four years. They’re free once they get here. They’ll be totally free. They’re going to need mental help treatment.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.

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