Double lockdown: The effects of digital exclusion on undocumented immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic

Zach Bastick,Marie Mallet-Garcia

doi:10.1177/14614448211063185

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many activities online. However, there is little research on the digital inclusion of undocumented immigrants and their experience of the pandemic in the United States. We conducted 32 interviews with undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States to examine how digital technologies mediated their experiences of the pandemic. We find that undocumented immigrants (1) face barriers to telehealth services, (2) are at high risk of COVID-19 misinformation, (3) experience difficulties in assessing privacy risks, and (4) experienced heterogeneous outcomes of technology use during the pandemic. Our analysis shows that digital technologies both supported and further marginalized undocumented immigrants during the pandemic. Future research on the digital inclusion of vulnerable populations should pay particular attention to the interaction between their underlying vulnerabilities, on one hand, and attitudes, uses, and outcomes associated with technology, on the other.

Highlights

Oscar’s journey to the United States’ border took three days through a desert that scorched his feet during the day and froze his fingers during the night
While browsing social media, he was unable to identify a post as misinformation during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and he waited in his California apartment for fear that seeking medical attention for his worsening COVID-19 symptoms would lead to him being deported back to Mexico
The majority of the interviewees told us that they had no insurance, and some reported financial barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing or treatment, as well as concerns that seeking medical attention might hinder the legalization of their status

Summary

Introduction

Oscar’s journey to the United States’ border took three days through a desert that scorched his feet during the day and froze his fingers during the night. “We wanted to get out; people were desperate,” he told us, “You find the bodies of people who tried crossing before you; it is very tough”. In his previous life in rural Mexico, Oscar rarely used the internet. Approaching the point of being unable to breathe, he dialed 911 and awoke the morning in the hospital, on a ventilator, with doctors telling him that he should have sought medical attention sooner. Today, he associates the internet with regret and frustration, and has abandoned social media. “It makes me scared”, he told us, “I don’t look online anymore”

Methods

Results

Conclusion