Tomás Jiménez joins KQED's Forum on talk about psychological effects of Trump's immigration policies

Tomás Jiménez joins KQED's Forum to discuss the cultural and psychological effects of Trump's immigration enforcement and rhetoric on Latino communities in the Bay Area and across the U.S.

Jiménez frames American identity as an "orchestra" with competing sections — including a white nationalist strand that has always existed but is now playing unusually loud under current political leadership. He argues that today's enforcement effort is unprecedented in its ferocity and breadth, and emphasizes that beyond what people can or cannot do, policies send a message about who we are as a nation — one that is deeply unsettling for Latinos right now.

Drawing on 25 years of research, he notes that U.S.-born Latinos — especially those of Mexican descent — have long faced anxiety about being perceived as undocumented. "What I think Latinos in particular are feeling right now is a version of something they've actually felt for a long time," he said.

Jiménez is the Joan B. Ford Professor and founding co-director of the  Institute for Advancing Just Societies.