world trade center
Undocumented immigrants: The invisible victims of 9/11
The undocumented immigrants impacted by the bombing of the World Trade Center were practically invisible to the government and agencies that were supposed to help them, two academics reported Tuesday.
The victims and their families were never properly counted because of their social and political isolation from wider society:
- Immigrants without papers distrusted law enforcement and were wary of drawing attention to themselves.
- Even if they did come forward, they lacked the paperwork necessary to prove claims and receive assistance.
- Public opinion linking immigration and terrorism after 9/11 exacerbated the risks of coming out of the MIGRA closet.
Study authors Alexandra Délano and Benjamin Nienass explain:
Maria Elena Salinas: ‘After 9/11, we’re all suspected terrorists’ (video)
Univision news anchor Maria Elena Salinas reflects on covering the attacks of September 11, 2001 and how that event affected the perception of immigrants in the U.S.