Introduction to the Special Issue on Migration Problems in the US and Their Implications for Group Work

Abstract

In this introduction I provide an overview of this Special Issue on migration problems at the southwestern border of the United States. These problems are framed against the rising world-wide tide of anti-immigrant rhetoric and the ascendance of right-wing nationalist leaders. I maintain that, from a group dynamic perspective, we in the US are witnessing the emergence of an authoritarian fight group leader (Bion, 1961) who has capitalized on the systematic arousal and manipulation of our most primitive fears, and who encourages the use of developmentally regressive projective mechanisms that permit us to disown, externalize and deposit into the “other” all that is bad or destructive. A series of critical interrelated questions is posed for group therapists to consider in order to respond effectively to the challenges we face. I explain the context in which this volume took shape and offer a set of guidelines for how to address these problems. In addition, I review more recent developments regarding how our government is responding to this situation, and explore the linkages between the “immigration crisis”, racism, White nationalism and violence. I then describe the articles that comprise this Special Issue, acknowledging that these contributions depart from the more typically neutral and “objective” pieces published in a professional journal, and represent an amalgam of both professional and more personal statements that emanate from deeply held ethical principles and humanitarian concerns. I conclude by inviting our readers to share their reactions to this volume and to the concept that is advanced of the group therapist as a potential social change advocate.