Mental Health During Politically Hostile Times

As a native New Yorker, son of a U.S. veteran, and Latino psychotherapist who works with a large BIPOC population, I thought I would be remiss not to write about the violent anti-immigrant shift happening in the political climate in the U.S. today and its impact on mental health. As a clinical social worker, I also acknowledge that therapy and mental health always exist in the context of history and politics.

It would be superficial and tone-deaf to simply suggest surface-level self-care (still important) when many of the IC3 detention actions against black and brown folks have been terrorizing many of our communities. This is happening regardless of legal status–not even citizens are safe.

For statistical reference: “As of June 29, 2025, ICE held 57,861 individuals in detention. Of these, 71.7% (41,495 individuals) had no criminal convictions, with many of those convicted having only minor offenses, including traffic violations.” (Source: TRAC Immigration. “Immigration Detention Quick Facts.” Syracuse University. tracreports.org/immigration/quickfacts/)

These are not “politically uncertain” times as some milquetoast therapists might water it down or reduce it to. They are hostile times because of the cruel and intentional ways that many of our communities are being targeted. This includes other intersectional communities whose rights are on the target marks like women, disabled folks, and LGBTQ folks. While prejudice is not a new narrative, it is particularly accentuated with the forces amplifying it today.

While there are many things outside of our control, how can we take care of our mental health during these times?

Crisis Needs Community

One of the cornerstones of navigating a crisis is having a strong community. Community is what built and sustained many civil rights movements and community is what keeps people hopeful and out of isolation. Isolation is a killer ingredient to mental health (American Psychological Association, 2019).

On a practical level, having a close-knit community, people who keep tabs on you and check in on you, is also crucial for safety. It’s much more difficult to isolate, unjustly arrest, or disappear someone when we all keep tabs on each other.

Having family members or close friends who check in on you regularly and/or have copies of important documents in case you go radio silent is important. Have a safety plan of who will have access to those things and easily accessible (or memorized) emergency numbers to loved ones and legal resources.

Community can come in several forms: a strong-knit family of origin, a family of choice, or even the communities you build by the things that you’re interested in.

Legal Education

Educating yourself about your rights is not legal obstruction. Whether you’re a citizen, a green-card holder, under a special migratory status (for example refugee/TPS), or undocumented, you have rights.

Legal Education also helps people have the tools to navigate complex bureaucracies.

The ACLU has a good resource informing immigrants (regardless of status) on their rights.

Also, look for any low-cost or accessible legal services in your city or location where you can obtain free initial legal consultation or guidance about any specific situation you may be in. This is a service Legal Aid in NYC provides.

Mental Health

Seeing an increase in open racism, unjust raids, and people’s rights being chipped away can activate many trauma responses in people, including feelings of hyper vigilance and having your sympathetic nervous system easily dysregulated (fight, flight, or freeze responses). People in other intersectional communities like older adults and disabled folks are particularly fearing for their survival after the passage of a predatory healthcare bill that is neither healthy nor caring toward their needs.

Anxiety, as its core, is a reaction to your survival being threatened physically or psychologically. It’s important to start by validating your internal experience as real reactions to harmful events.

If you don’t have insurance or a plan with out-of-network benefits, many therapists offer low-fee spots on directories like The Open Path Collective. Many psychoanalytic institutes in NYC (including PPSC) also offer sliding scale therapy.

In addition to access to the national emergency mental health 988 line, New York City also has crisis respite centers. These are alternatives to hospitalization that include peer support and resources like psycho education and connection to follow-up outpatient services.

Avoiding Burnout

For day to day mental health, it’s ok to take breaks from the news and social media if feeling overstimulated by it. There are still balanced ways to stay informed (for example, scheduling news updates for a designated time each day). It’s also ok to continue doing the things that you love with the people you enjoy since any kind of activism you may do (no matter how small or local) is the precise thing that promotes resilience and the emotional bandwidth to build and advocate for like-minded community.

Joy and relationships are important, especially during difficult and heartbreaking times.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a backyard party at the recently opened Cafe Colmadón in the Lower East Side (delicious coquito latte and morisoñando btw) . I was moved by seeing the same people in our community who are being persecuted doing two things in the face of adversity–two things that amidst the sound of salsa and summer backyard fireflies can never be taken away: dancing and laughing.

Caption: In his video NuevaYol, Bad Bunny broadcasts a tribute to immigrants in a historical reference to a Puerto Rican independence protest in the 1970s and then followed to make a residency of 30 concerts in Puerto Rico, the first nine open to residents only.